Nowhere is Safe
by AngelG93
Summary: Forced to leave Amestris for their own safety, the Elric Brothers are placed under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix. But, are they truly safe in the Wizarding World? Can they avoid getting caught up in another war? OoTP and FMAB. T for violence, language, frightening descriptions, and some sexual implications (the last one only applies in Chp 11, 17-22). PLEASE REVIEW
1. The Man with the Electric-Blue Eye

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Greetings, all. After reading a few other _FMA_/_HP_ crossovers, I was inspired to write my own! I will be adhering as much as possible to _Harry Potter and the_ _Order of the Phoenix_ and _Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood_ (which is pretty much synonymous with using the manga).

Thank you to my little brother who is my Jr. Editor and Chief Guinea Pig.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**The Man with the Electric-Blue Eye**

"They said to give them three days, so give them three days."

Edward sighed in frustration. "I know, but when I think about Dr. Marcoh's research notes just sitting somewhere in Central, I can't stand it. I just get so _fidgety_." As if to demonstrate his anxiety, Ed flailed his limbs. He couldn't help but be upset at this setback. Getting his automail arm destroyed by that Scar character had forced him to come crawling back to Risembool – the one place he'd been avoiding for three years. Plus, now that he and Al had finally found a solid lead on the Philosopher's Stone, the last thing he wanted was to lie around doing nothing.

The large suit of armor rattled as Al laughed. "Well, you should try to enjoy yourself. It's not often you get to take a break like this."

"I guess," Ed muttered, not really convinced. Still, he closed his eyes, draping his good arm across his forehead. Maybe a long nap in this warm sunlight would do him some good…

"Hey, Ed? Who's that man?"

"Huh?" Ed sat up and followed Al's gaze. Sure enough, a man was walking – no, _limping_ – toward the Rockbells' house. He had grizzled gray hair that nearly reached his shoulders and a heavily scarred face, but his eyes were what immediately drew Edward's attention. One was small and dark, whereas the other was large and bright blue –as blue as the glow of an alchemic transmutation. As the man drew nearer to the two boys, the bulging eye fixed its gaze on them, even though its mate kept looking ahead. He said nothing as he walked past, using a shoulder-high staff to balance his uneven steps. At last, he reached the front door and knocked.

"It's open," Granny Pinako's muffled voice called through the wood. The man immediately swung the door open and stepped over the threshold. As soon as the door had closed behind him, Ed got unsteadily to his feet, not trusting his temporary-replacement leg with his full weight.

"What do you think?" Al asked. "Are you going to find out who he is?"

"_Honestly_," Ed admitted, "I couldn't care less, but I want to know when dinner is – I'm _starving_!"

Al chuckled a little. "Sometimes, it seems like food is all you think about."

"Hey," Ed said defensively. "That's a complete exaggeration. I only think about food when I'm hungry."

"But, you're _always_ hungry, Brother."

"Ha! Okay, you have a point." Ed stretched his one arm above his head, then turned to face his little brother. "I'll ask the Major to bring your crate inside, all right?"

"Sure," Al replied, an apologetic tone seeping into the metallic voice. Ed smiled down at him (a rare occurrence, since Al was usually the taller one, much to Ed's chagrin). It wasn't Al's fault that an Ishvalan serial killer had blown half of his armor to bits; he had no reason to feel guilty about it. If anything, Ed was the one who should be feeling that way. Only a few days ago, he had nearly lost his life – practically given it – to Scar. He had almost left Alphonse alone, and, for that, he might never forgive himself.

Ed could hear voices as he climbed the porch steps. When he entered the front room, he saw Pinako deep in conversation with the weather-beaten stranger. Major Armstrong was kneeling by the fireplace, restocking the woodpile, and Den lay under the dinner table, his tail thumping contentedly against Pinako's leg. Winry, however, was nowhere in sight. _She must still be working on my arm_, Ed reasoned.

The Major soon finished his task and turned to greet the young alchemist. "Ah, there you are, Edward Elric. I was wondering where you'd wandered off to."

"I didn't 'wander off' anywhere. Anyway, can you get Al? He's still outside."

"Of course," Major Armstrong replied, heading toward the door. With nothing else to do, Ed turned his attention to Pinako and the stranger.

"I must admit, it's been far too long since I've seen you around here, Alastor."

"Quite. I've had my hands full, and barely any time to do proper maintenance on this old thing. The small repair work I can do myself won't cut it. A Death Eater managed to catch and impersonate me nearly all last year, and he took even worse care of it than I had. So, I figured I might as well pay you a visit, what with the fighting startin' to pick up again. 'Best to be as prepared as possible', I always say, 'and then some.'"

"Well, things always seem to be interesting in your country, Alastor. If I recall correctly, you were getting ready for a big fight the last time I saw you… it must have been fourteen years, at least."

"Yeah, something like that. Now, how soon can you have it repaired?"

"Oh, shouldn't take too long – it's mainly the outer plating that needs to be replaced. I can have it done in the morning. There's an extra cot in the back; feel free to use it tonight."

"I appreciate it."

Pinako looked over at Edward, only just now noting his presence. "Oh, Ed. If you're wondering about dinner, it'll be ready in an hour or so. I need to assess the condition of this leg more fully."

As she spoke, she held up the automail limb in question. Sure enough, it was in bad shape, covered in rust and scratches. Ed grimaced at the very thought of wearing a leg that worn-down, but maybe the stranger didn't mind it so much, being so weather-beaten himself.

"You get used to it," the man named Alastor grunted haphazardly, as if he had seen Ed's expression through the back of his own head. He turned to look at the boy with both eyes, sizing him up.

"So," he said at last, "you're Hohenheim's son."

Ed was taken aback by this sudden change in subject, but he did his best to maintain his composure.

"Yeah, what of it? If you're looking for him, he's not here. Hasn't been for years."

"So I hear." The blue eye swerved so that it was staring at the front door. "That suit of armor is quite an interesting piece of work."

Something snapped inside Ed at his words. He met Alastor's one-eyed gaze with a glare that would make a lesser man tremble. "Look, I don't know who you are, and I really don't care, but no one, _no one_ talks about my little brother like an object and gets away with it."

"Your brother, eh? How'd he end up like that? The lad's got no proper body."

This stranger's bluntness was infuriating. "That's none of your business," Ed retorted.

"Is it now?" The corner of Alastor's mouth twitched upward into a crooked smile.

Before Ed could come up with a biting comeback, Pinako's voice echoed in from the kitchen, "Ed, would you go tell Winry to take a break and help me with dinner?"

"Sure," Ed responded automatically, turning toward the staircase. Just as he placed his good leg on the bottom step, the stranger's gruff voice caught him.

"The name's Alastor Moody, boy. If you know what's good for you, you'll remember it."

"Whatever," Ed grumbled, starting his climb up the stairs.

* * *

Dinner that night was _awkward_ to say the least. While Major Armstrong engaged in a lighthearted conversation with Winry and Pinako, Ed tried to concentrate on his delicious food, but his eyes kept darting over to Moody's spot at the table. What was worse, every time he did so, that bulbous blue eye was staring right at him, as if determined to watch him for the entire meal. Al's crate had been laid next to Ed's chair, and the younger Elric seemed to sense Ed's anxiety.

"Brother?" he asked tentatively. "Why is he watching you so closely?"

"Dunno," Ed responded curtly, tearing off another chunk of meat with his teeth. "Don't care."

"So, Ed," Winry cut in, drawing his attention. "I've just about finished with your arm – and ahead of schedule, too. We can even dock it tonight, if you want."

"Sure. The sooner the better."

"Granny got your leg all ready as well, so we might as well attach them both."

"Fine."

After the dishes were cleared away and cleaned (thanks to the Major's dishwashing technique that had "been passed down the Armstrong line for generations"), Winry ran upstairs to fetch Ed's automail. Within minutes, Pinako and Winry were fussing all over him, telling him to sit a certain way or relax his muscles just so. Major Armstrong, Alphonse, and Moody sat by calmly as the two mechanics set everything in place. At last, the moment arrived.

"Ready?" Winry asked.

"Uh, yeah," Ed managed, gritting his teeth.

"One," Pinako began.

"Two," Winry agreed.

"Three!"

With a resounding _SNAP_, the automail limbs reattached to their ports. Instantly, pain shot up Ed's left leg and right shoulder, pain so intense he bit his lip to keep from crying out. Moody raised an eyebrow.

"That boy's got grit," he muttered, sounding almost impressed. He then turned to look at Alphonse. "You, lad, what happened to the pair of you to leave you in this condition?"

If his suit of armor had been capable of conveying emotions, Al would have blushed crimson. "Uh, well, you see-"

"I told you before, Moody, that's none of your business." Ed followed this reminder with another glare, but was quickly distracted by the recurring pain from his automail. Winry eventually forced him to lie down on the couch so he could better recover.

"Now stay there for while, you hear me?" she ordered, pointing at him threateningly.

"Fine," Ed mumbled in reply.

"Oh, Edward Elric," Major Armstrong blubbered, his voice trembling with emotion and his eyes welling up with glistening tears, "to think a child your age could withstand such agony with such bravery. It's _truly_ admirable."

"If you say so." Ed just didn't understand how the Major could be such a ferocious fighter _and_ be such an incurable crybaby; it was downright disturbing.

Once again, Ed glanced at Moody, who was eyeing him with a keen interest now. That large, blue eye was seriously unnatural. Ed had half a mind to ask how his face had gotten so messed up, but he was too tired to bother; plus, he had no right to pester the stranger about his injuries when he had no intention of talking about his own. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander, until at last, he fell asleep.

* * *

Laughter. He could hear a woman's melodic laughter, carried to him on a warm breeze. She was standing in front of a house at the top of a small hill. Her smile, like the sun itself, radiated waves of happiness, welcoming him, beckoning him. He ran to the outstretched arms, resting his head against the familiar bosom. He wanted to stay in this moment of bliss forever, to forget everything except this loving embrace.

"Edward," his mother whispered, gently running her fingers through his hair. "My little man."

"Mom," he breathed. Doing his best not to choke on the words, he pleaded, "Please, stay with me. Don't leave me alone anymore."

"Yes, my darling boy. We can stay here… forever."

Suddenly, everything became dark and cold. Unable to see anything, he clung to her, afraid that she would vanish as well.

"Mom?" he asked, fear shaking his voice. "Mom? Don't go, _please_!"

"I'll never leave you, Edward." A hand caressed his cheek, but it was cold and clammy. Terrified, he looked up into his mother's face… and screamed.

* * *

Ed was still screaming when he woke. Feeling layers of cold sweat all over, he tried to wipe off his forehead with his left hand, but it did little good. Still breathing heavily, he looked around the dimly lit room. Dawn was on its way. The only people awake yet were himself and Alphonse, who sat in his crate next to the couch.

"Brother?" Al ventured cautiously. "Are… are you okay?"

"I will be," Ed managed, using his shirt to absorb most of the sweat. Trying to take his mind off of the nightmare, he stood, testing out his repaired leg.

"How's it feel?" Al asked.

"Much better." He rotated his right shoulder experimentally, flexing the metal joints. "The arm feels great, too."

"Right," Ed added, smiling at his little brother. "Now, I've got to fix you up."

"That would be appreciated," Al admitted a little sheepishly.

As quickly and quietly as possible (so as not to wake anyone else), Ed laid out the various pieces of Al's shattered armor. Once he had checked that everything was accounted for, he clapped his hands together and pressed them against Al's chestplate.

Within seconds, Al stood over him, fully restored – at least, as far as the suit of armor was concerned. A pang of guilt stung Ed for an instant as he wished it were that easy for him to return Al to his original body.

"I see now," a gruff voice said behind him. "You boys have seen the Truth."

Ed whirled around, searching wildly for who had spoken. Finally, he could discern a figure seated far back in the shadows. When the man leaned forward, the morning light identified him as none other than Alastor Moody. Ed's stomach leapt into his throat.

"H… how could you know that?" he stammered, trying to get a handle on the situation.

"Your father told me all about his encounter with It. It's why you don't need a circle to perform your alchemy, and why your bodies are in such a sorry state, isn't that right?"

"Are you saying that Hohenheim has seen It too?" This was certainly news to Edward.

"Wait," Al piped up, confused. "What's 'the Truth'? Ed, do you know what he's talking about?"

"You don't remember It, Al, and I can't really explain It, but… I saw It when we…" Ed glanced at Moody before continuing, "when we tried to bring Mom back."

"Ah, so that's how it happened," Moody sighed. Ed could swear that a hint of sympathy had leaked into the older man's voice. A vein stood out on his forehead; Ed _hated_ it when people looked at him and Al with pity. The fact that Colonel Mustang never gave Ed special treatment for his condition was one of the very few things Ed liked about his commanding officer. Now this Moody character, practically a stranger, was going to slap a "helpless" label on them and-

"Well, I hope you learned your lesson. Some things really are impossible, no matter how hard you try."

Ed blinked in surprise, completely taken aback by this harsh, brunt statement, but he quickly regained his composure. "Yeah, we know better now."

"Oh, do you?" Moody retorted. "All you really know is that you tried and failed; you don't know why. Saying you know better sounds more like arrogance, or maybe even denial."

"Why should _you_ care? You don't know us."

"I know Hohenheim."

"That doesn't make a bit of difference to me!" Ed took a step toward Moody, his blood boiling. "_He_ didn't know us either! He never took the time to!"

"Brother," Al said haltingly, placing a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Try to calm down."

"You should listen to your brother, Elric," Moody warned, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't want to make me angry."

"Oh, really?" Ed taunted. "I'll fight you here and now, once Granny gets your leg fixed. I'm not so low as to take advantage of my opponent's disadvantage."

For the first time, Moody laughed – a great, booming laugh that Ed was sure would wake the Rockbells and the Major. "Are you serious, boy? All right, if that's what you really want. I just hope you're ready to take a sore beating."

"I was just about to say the same thing to you, old man," Ed sniggered, cracking his knuckles.

Alphonse looked helplessly back and forth between the two. "Oh, dear."

* * *

"-and I've made it a lot lighter, so you'll be faster, but that also makes it more likely to break, so don't do anything crazy, okay?"

Winry's rants about automail could only be taken seriously for so long, and Ed was way past his limit. He simply let her follow him around the house, nodding or saying "yeah" every now and again.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Pinako gasped from the front room. Quickly bringing his attention back to reality, Ed listened in.

"_He's_ the one who challenged me to a duel. I merely agreed."

"Alastor, you can't be serious. He's just a child, and he has absolutely no experience fighting a wi-"

"It's a matter of pride now, Pinako. Not just mine, but his as well. He needs to be taught a lesson, and I intend to knock some sense into him."

"If you say so. Just, try to be… subtle about it."

"Just who do you think you're talking to?" Moody's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Subtlety is my specialty."

* * *

"Are you sure you won't rethink this, Brother?" Al pleaded.

"I'm sure. This Moody guy is dead-set on mocking us, and I won't let him get away with it."

Al sighed regretfully. "Just… be careful."

"Sure thing," Ed promised. _Besides_, he thought, _this'll be a cakewalk_.

The brothers walked down the front steps and into a nearby field of knee-high grass (well, it came up to _Ed's_ knees). Moody was waiting patiently for them, a smug look set on his scarred face. Just seeing that expression fueled Ed's rage.

"Let's do this, Moody," he growled.

"Right," he agreed, "but, before we begin, we need to make a few things clear."

"Oh, like what?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you can use any non-lethal attacks you wish."

"Will you be doing the same?"

"Naturally. One more thing I should mention: I fight for a _living_."

"What a coincidence," Ed chuckled, taking a fighting stance. "So do I."

"Come at me, then!" Moody roared, beckoning the boy with two fingers. At once, Ed dashed forward, keeping low to the ground until he was right next to the old man. Figuring it was only fair to go easy on the first strike, Ed swung his left fist upward to catch Moody off-balance. Unfortunately, something completely different happened. For an instant, Ed felt as if he were moving very slowly – or possibly frozen in place altogether – while his opponent stepped calmly out of the way of the oncoming attack. Taken aback by this, Ed nearly lost his footing as he landed on the soft, windswept grass.

_Okay_, he reasoned, _this might be harder than I thought. He's obviously got some kind of specialized alchemy that increases his body's speed, making it look like I'm moving slowly. I'd be an idiot to rush in like that again._

"What's the matter?" Moody taunted. "Am I that much trouble for you, little boy?"

Big mistake. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PUNY LITTLE FLEA?" Ed demanded. He clapped his hands together, sending a current of energy below Moody's feet, which then exploded in the form of transmuted fists. The old man seemed unperturbed, but his right arm was wriggling in an odd way with his hand in his overcoat pocket, like he was hiding something he was holding. A transmutation circle, perhaps? That had to be it. For some strange reason, Ed's barrage of earthen arms completely missed its target. Whenever one got close, it suddenly swerved off-course as if deflected by some kind of shield or barrier.

Ed cursed under his breath. This was _really_ starting to get harder than he thought it would be.

"Are you beginning to see it now?" Moody inquired, continuing to dodge or divert all of Ed's alchemical attacks. "There are things you see and don't understand, and yet you continue to struggle against them – even when it's impossible for you to ever comprehend them."

"What, are you lecturing me now?" Ed retorted, sending another onslaught toward his enemy.

"You need to get this through your head, boy. Otherwise, you'll end up getting yourself killed."

"I never asked for your advice! I don't need _your_ help, or _Hohenheim's_, or _anyone's_!"

"And that's exactly your problem. I can read you like an open book, Elric. You're too stubborn to admit that you don't have all the answers, so you delude yourself into thinking you have amassed a lot of knowledge and power."

"That's not true!" Ed insisted. "I know there are things I can't do, that I can't fix!"

"And yet you continue to search for answers where there are none. You have to understand that you can't come up with a scientific solution for everything. Even Hohenheim, with all that he can do, couldn't-"

"I don't care what _that man_ can or can't do! He's as much of a stranger to me as you are!"

"You're not listening to me, you foolish boy! Roar like a lion all you like, but in the end, you'll have to realize how powerless you truly are. In reality, you're little more than a helpless… little… kitten!"

"I TOLD YOU," Ed thundered, "DON'T CALL ME LI_-_" but he got to finish his outraged rant. Something had just hit him in the gut. Moody had finally attacked.

* * *

Alphonse had always known that his older brother was slightly hopeless, but this had gone too far. None of Ed's attacks had done any good, and his yelling had only riled him up, making him lose focus. As he began to snap back at Moody's last insult, the weather-beaten old man pulled what looked like a short stick out of his pocket and flicked it in Ed's direction. Instantly, a bright light flew from the stick at incredible speed, slamming Ed squarely in the diaphragm. He barely had time to register what had happened before whatever the attack did began to take effect.

For one thing, a harsh gust of wind blasted outward from the point of impact; for another, a blinding flash of light obscured Ed completely. Al raised his arms to shield himself from both, taking his eyes off of his brother only for a moment. When both phenomena ceased, Al turned back to see… nothing. Ed was gone. Al glanced around, wondering if Ed had jumped or rolled to avoid the ramifications of Moody's strange attack, but Al couldn't see him anywhere. Starting to panic now, he rounded on the old man.

"What did you do? Where's my brother?"

"Oh, he hasn't gone anywhere, lad," Moody chuckled, walking casually to the spot where Ed had stood. He reached down into the long grass. "Come here," he barked at something hidden from Al's view. After what looked like several attempts to grab something, Moody stood, holding a small cat by the scruff of its neck. Where it had come from, Al had no idea, but a sinking suspicion began to creep over him. The kitten had golden fur, except for two gray "stockings," one on its left hind leg, the other on its right front leg.

If Alphonse had been capable of passing out, he might have done so on the spot. As it was, he approached shakily, his armor rattling even more than usual.

"Is... is that…" he couldn't even make himself finish the question.

"Hush, now, lad; I'm a little busy here," Moody chided before turning back to the cat. "Have you learned your lesson now, boy?"

In response, the tiny creature hissed at Moody, swiping a clawed paw at his face, but the old man wisely held it far enough away to render its pitiful attacks useless.

"Well, let me make this clear to you: the next time you challenge me to a duel, I _will_ call you a flea – and I'll make sure the name is quite _literal_. Got it?"

The kitten trembled at the glare it was receiving. All of its fur fluffed up in fright, and its tail curled protectively around its hind legs.

As terrifying as this situation was, Alphonse had to admit that his older brother made an adorable cat. How this old man had accomplished this feat, Al was clueless, but he was determined to find out immediately.

"Um, Mr. Moody? H… how did you…"

"It's simple, really," the stranger explained, twirling the short stick he had used to attack in his other hand. "I'm a wizard – an ex-Auror, to be specific, not that you'd know about that kind of thing."

"Wait... what? You, a wizard? That… that's impossible."

Moody held up the cat for Al to see. "Here's solid evidence to the contrary."

"But… but…" The younger Elric just didn't want to wrap his head around the idea of wizards and magic; he'd always been told that magic didn't exist. Besides, now that he was looking at the cute little cat that used to be his brother up-close, he was becoming increasingly tempted to snatch it away from Moody and smother it with love.

"I can see that you're still skeptical. Understandable, I suppose. All right, then – watch closely, lad."

Making sure that Al was indeed paying attention, the old man tapped his short stick (which Al now deduced was some kind of magic wand) on the kitten's head. After another flash of light, Ed was back to normal, and Moody had ahold of his braid.

"Brother!" Al cried in delight, swooping down on him with a tight embrace.

"Aaaow!" Ed complained, trying to extricate himself from both Al's hug and Moody's grip on his hair. The self-proclaimed wizard gave a final tug on the boy's braid before releasing it and moving back to give the brothers some space. He looked even smugger than he had before the fight, as if everything had happened according to his plan.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Al demanded while giving Ed a thorough lookover to make sure he was indeed human again.

"Mmm," Ed muttered, blushing a little. Trying to hide how badly shaken up he truly was, he put on a brave face as the younger Elric continued to fuss over him. At last, he managed to rediscover his voice (for an instant, he was afraid that if he tried to form coherent words, all that would come out would be "Mreaaow.")

"I… I'm okay," he said haltingly. "But _that guy_… that guy's something else, Al."

"I noticed. He claims to be a wizard."

"Yeah, I heard."

"Do you think he's telling the truth?"

Ed contemplated before answering. Part of him wanted to yell, _"No duh! I just got turned into a cat and back!"_ but the other half felt more like saying, _"I'm not falling for it; it had to have been some kind of trick."_

"Would you care for me to demonstrate further?" Moody offered, raising his wand in their general direction.

"No!" Ed squeaked, ducking behind Al so as to put the armor between Moody and himself.

"Ha! Your reaction should be proof enough that you believe, however reluctantly, that I am indeed a wizard."

_Reluctant is an understatement_, Ed grumbled mentally.

"You should feel honored, boys. Under normal circumstances, I'm not supposed to display magic in front of non-wizarding folk, what we refer to as `Muggles.'"

"Then, what makes this situation different?" Al asked, sincerely curious now.

"For one thing, your father could be classified as a wizard, so you're not technically Muggles. Instead, you're what we call `half-bloods.' What's more, our Ministry of Magic has no knowledge of this country, thanks to Hohenheim's protective spells, making it impossible for them to catch me performing magic in the open."

"Dad put protection around Amestris?"

"It extends around the adjacent countries as well. It's possibly the most complex Fidelius Charm I've ever seen."

"`Fidelius?'" Ed repeated, finally finding the courage to reemerge. "What's 'faith' got to do with magic?"

"It completely hides a place from detection in any and all senses. Only the `secret-keeper' – in this case, Hohenheim himself – and those he chooses to tell know of its existence."

"Oh, I see," Al nodded, "so the charm is called `Fidelius' because you have to trust that the secret-keeper will actually keep the secret."

"Exactly."

"So that man told _you_ about Amestris?"

"Well, naturally," Moody grinned. "When I lost my leg, he told me that Rockbells' Prosthetic Outfitters was the best place to go to get a replacement."

"Wow," Al sighed, obviously trying to take in all of this new information. "That's amazing! So magic was out there all this time, and we just didn't know it!"

"I guess," Ed muttered grudgingly. He honestly didn't want to admit that he believed Moody, but the old wizard's explanation was the only way he could possibly make sense of what had happened in the past several minutes.

"So then," he added curiously, "did your talk with Pinako have to do with magic, too?

Moody's grin instantly slid off of his face. Quick as lighting, he reached over and grabbed Ed by the ear.

"So you're one of the eavesdropping kind. I should have figured."

"Ow! Hey, lemme go!"

"What'd you hear, boy?"

"Something about a `Death Eater,' and that a fight was going to start again soon."

Moody sighed, releasing Ed. "I won't tell you that listening in on other people's conversations isn't a useful skill, but if you don't watch yourself, you'll get caught by worse than me."

"Worse than you?" Ed echoed, massaging his ear. "I doubt that's possible."

"Rare, but _very_ possible. See, the Death Eaters are the devoted followers and servants of the most dangerous dark wizard in our world: Voldemort. He had gone into hiding for these past fourteen years, but now he's back, and with a vengeance, no less. That's why it was important for me to come here before the fighting starts."

"Is there anything we can do to he-" Al was cut off as Ed elbowed him sharply in the side.

"I doubt it, lad, though I appreciate the offer. This is a wizard's war; no sense in a couple of alchemists like yourselves getting caught in the crossfire."

"Well, good luck dealing with that Voldemort guy," Ed said conclusively, turning back to the house and motioning for Al to follow. "You just said there's no reason for us to get involved, and besides, we've got our own problems to manage."

* * *

The next morning, Ed woke early and packed his few belongings in his trunk. He and Al had spent enough time resting; now they needed to get to Central – and Dr. Marcoh's research notes.

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Winry asked pleadingly as the brothers descended the front steps.

"Yep," Ed insisted, pausing to take in a deep breath. He _would_ miss the crispness of the country air once they headed back to the smog of the city.

"Where's the Major?" Al wondered aloud. "He should be up and ready by now, don't you think?"

"If you're looking for Armstrong, he's not here." Moody had also come out front bearing a large trunk. "I assured him I was completely capable of bringing you boys safely to Central, so he went on ahead."

"He… you… _WHAT_?" Ed didn't know whether to be furious, terrified, or just plain confused. Moody walked up to the brothers and smiled mischievously at them.

"Your father asked me to stop in Central on my way back, so I figured I might as well travel with you. I've taken a keen interest in you boys, and I've a feeling this trip will prove most… _enlightening_ for all of us."

Ed grit his teeth in annoyance. _Travel with HIM? You've got to be kidding me. I think I'd rather be turned back into a cat._

"Well, boys," Moody beckoned, taking the lead. "Let's be off, then, shall we?"

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know in the books, Moody has a wooden leg, but the metal leg in the movies made me think "automail!" so I went with it. Besides, the difference between a wooden leg and a metal leg isn't a big accuracy problem in Moody's case.

I intend to post illustrations for this fanfic on my deviantArt account, AngelG93 (feel free to look me up). The illustration for this chapter will most likely be Moody holding kitten!Ed by the scruff (hee-hee-hee…)


	2. Secrets, Truths, and Lies

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: This chapter might feel like review for _Brotherhood_ fans, but it's the last bit of Amestris you'll read for a _while_, so cherish it while you can.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Secrets, Truths, and Lies**

Edward and Alphonse stood wide-eyed in front of the First Branch of the Central Library, or at least, what was left of it. A fire had consumed the entire building, leaving nothing but ashes.

"Dr. Marcoh's research notes!" the young alchemist yelled to the wind. "They're all gone!" Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he rounded on Moody. "Can't you do something about this – you know, with magic?"

"I'm a _wizard_, boy, not a miracle-worker."

Ed cursed, kicking some of the rubble in frustration. "Great, just _great_! Our one lead – gone!"

"Um, excuse me." It was a woman's voice. The trio turned to see two Amestrian soldiers standing at attention.

"Fullmetal Alchemist, sir," the woman continued, raising her hand to her forehead in a military salute, "I'm Second Lieutenant Maria Ross."

"And I'm Sergeant Denny Brosch, sir," the man next to Ross added with his own respectful salute. "We've been assigned to you by Central Command for the protection of you and your brother."

Moody whistled. "Well, well. It seems you're more important around here than I thought, boy."

"What is this?" Ed groaned. "Just when I think I'm home free, they saddle me with more bodyguards? This is getting _old_!"

Noting Ed's presence at the library's ruins, Ross spoke up again. "Fullmetal, sir? Apparently, there was a woman well-acquainted with the library's contents. A Miss Sheska, I believe. We could go now; the Sergeant and I brought a car."

Al brightened considerably at this prospect. "That's _something_, Brother. Let's check it out."

"Fine," Ed agreed halfheartedly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and heading toward the car."

"Mr. Moody?" Al asked. "Will you be coming with us?"

The wizard shrugged. "I'll find you boys later; I've some business of my own to take care of."

Curious to see where Moody was heading, Ed looked out of the car window, but to his astonishment, the old man had vanished without a trace.

* * *

As it turned out, Sheska proved to be immensely useful. Not only did she verify that Marcoh's research notes had indeed existed, but she also remembered everything they contained, word for word. After five days of non-stop copying, Sheska handed them a complete reproduction of the notes.

"Here they are, by Tim Marcoh – _1000 Easy Recipes_," she announced proudly.

Ross and Brosch looked completely dumbfounded, but Ed immediately understood. "Sheska, are you sure this is an exact copy of the notes?"

Sheska nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes, I'm _absolutely_ positive!"

"Then, thank you very much. You're incredible."

After tending to the matter of Sheska's fee, Ed and Al hefted all the notes back to one of the study rooms in the main library building, which thankfully had not been damaged.

"How are these recipes going to help you, sir?" Brosch asked as he placed the last stack of papers on the large table.

"Alchemy is a powerful art," Ed explained. "It can be dangerous in the wrong hands. To prevent that, alchemical notes are always encrypted. Only the alchemist who originally wrote them can understand."

"If that's the case, then how are you going to read them?"

"We'll have to decipher the code if we want to get anywhere."

"Wow, sir, that sounds really complicated."

Ed wasn't listening anymore; he had just noticed something. "Hey, Al, there's a section here on green tea."

"Green tea? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Uh-huh. It could be a reference to the green lion of metallurgic alchemy. Do we have a copy of Flamel's _Codex_ around here?"

"Of course," Al confirmed, walking behind Ed so he could see the paper as well.

"Look, here it is again."

"Yeah, and maybe here, too."

Ed grinned. "All right! We've got a place to start. Let's do this!"

"Right," Al agreed.

* * *

For the next several days, Ed and Al hardly left their study, working day and night to uncover the secrets of Marcoh's research. Needless to say, this dedication took its toll on their energy and confidence.

"Uugh," Ed groaned, his head slumped forward onto the table, "why does this encryption have to be so damn hard?"

"I'm starting to wonder if we're even making any progress," Al noted miserably.

Just then, they were roused by a knock on the door. Sheska entered, looking much more cheerful than she had the last time they met.

"Thanks to the money you gave me, Ed, I was able to move my mother to a better hospital. I really appreciate it." She bowed sincerely.

"It's no problem," Ed assured her. "I'm glad I was able to help."

"Have you had any luck deciphering the notes yet?"

The brothers' depressed reaction to this question was an answer all to itself.

"Any luck finding another job?" Al asked in return.

Sheska's downcast face clearly said otherwise.

"Anyway," she said, trying to bring the conversation back onto a happier topic," you guys made me feel better. It's nice to know that a pathetic mess like me can help out sometimes."

"You're not a pathetic mess," Al assured her. "I think the dedication you show to reading is a talent all on its own, and, besides that, your memory's incredible! You should have more faith in yourself."

"Thank you, Al," Sheska beamed, her eyes misting slightly at his kind words.

This tender moment, however, quickly came to an end.

"Yo!"

The Elrics looked at the door to see none other than- "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?"

"Major Armstrong told me you boys were here," Hughes explained, walking to the table and thumping his hands down on it. "What gives, Ed? I told you two to give me a shout the next time you came to Central."

"Well, uh, we've been busy."

"I hear you there. We've been swamped at my office recently. All the criminal case records were destroyed in the library fire, and we're having a hard time getting things organized." He paused for a moment, noting the brothers' stunned faces. "What?"

In unison, the boys turned to look at Sheska encouragingly. After a moment, she seemed to realize their meaning. "Ah, me?"

"Lieutenant Colonel," Ed grinned smugly, "I think I've got just the person you're looking for."

"Well, I have read the military's case records, and I do remember them all," Sheska admitted.

"That's all I need to hear, lady. You're hired!"

Sheska spluttered before finally managing to say, "Thank you so much!" Turning to Al, she added, "I'll have faith, just like you said. Thank you, thank you!"

With that, Hughes promptly dragged Sheska out of the room, laughing maniacally about "getting right to work."

Ed and Al waved after the two of them. "She may not be thanking us for long," the elder Elric chuckled.

Sighing, Ed twiddled a fountain pen in his mouth as he once again let his chin drop to the table. "What was that, Al? 'I think dedication is a talent all on its own?' Very smooth, little brother, very smooth."

"Well," Al replied cheerily, "it's something I always think whenever I look at a certain someone I know."

Ed twirled the pen and caught it in his left hand, poised for action. "In that case, a certain someone had better get back to work, or you're gonna have to come up with a new motivational phrase."

"_My, my_, it looks like you two have been busy."

All the hair on the back of Ed's neck stood on end. Moody had entered the room unannounced by either Ross or Brosch, as if he had just appeared there by… well, by magic.

"Hello, Mr. Moody," Al greeted, still in a cheerful mood. "Did you accomplish what you came to Central to do?"

"I can't say one way or t'other yet, lad. Things haven't come to fruition."

"Well, don't expect any help from us," Ed snorted, picking up a bound stack of papers and perusing it. "As you can see, we're busy."

"It _is_ really important," Al stressed to the old wizard. "If we can decipher these notes, we may finally learn about the Philosopher's Stone."

Ed could immediately tell that Al had said too much. Moody's normal eye narrowed, making his face look even more distorted.

"You mean to say," he said slowly, "that you boys are chasing after the Stone?"

"Why do you ask?" Ed demanded. "You make it sound like you know something about it."

"Enough to know how dangerous it is. I will say this: if you intend to keep looking for the Stone, you must be prepared to deal with the truths you may uncover."

"What's with the cryptic reply? How do you know about the Stone, and how _much_ do you know?"

"Bits and pieces, really – whatever I could glean from Hohenheim's explanations-"

"Dad knew about the Stone?" Al asked incredulously.

"Yes, lad, that's what I just said."

Ed slammed his automail fist against the table, upsetting books and papers. "You mean to say… that bastard knew this whole time? But he never… there was barely anything on the Stone in his study. Why wouldn't he keep a record of what he knew, even in _code_?"

Moody's tone was dangerously serious. "Maybe he didn't want unwelcome eyes finding that information."

"SHUT UP!" Ed roared, on his feet now. "This is just another example of how he left us with nothing! Forget him – I don't want his help! Al and I can find the answers _on our own_!"

The rugged wizard pulled out his wand. "Did you listen to anything I said when we fought, boy? Do you need another reminder?"

Ed cringed, but stood his ground.

"Tell you what," Moody growled, "I'll stand back and let you discover the truth for yourselves. Just don't say I didn't warn you ahead of time."

"Fine," Ed agreed, "now, would you mind leaving so we can concentrate?"

Moody headed back toward the door, but Ed had a feeling that his magical eye would be watching them the whole time.

* * *

Somewhere outside, bells tolled the hour. Brosch sat up sharply, rousing himself from a doze and saying to no one in particular, "I'm awake!"

"They've been at it for ten days straight," Ross commented, stretching and turning to face the closed door of the Elrics' study room. "Maybe we should check on them."

Even as she laid a hand on the door, she heard a ruckus from within.

"To hell with this!"

Immediately, she and Brosch entered the room. The brothers sat on the floor, papers and books scattered everywhere.

"What did you guys do to this place?" Brosch asked.

"Don't be angry because you can't crack the code," Ross sighed indignantly. "Throwing things won't help."

"We did crack it," Alphonse cut in, earning gasps from both soldiers. "We cracked the code and decrypted the notes."

"But, that's good, isn't it?" Brosch wondered before Ed finally spoke.

"There's nothing good about this, damn it! This _is_ the devil's research. Marcoh… was right. It's _evil_."

"What's so evil about it?"

"The key ingredient for a Philosopher's Stone… is _human life_."

* * *

Well, he _had_ warned them.

Moody wasn't surprised to hear that the Elric Brothers had shut themselves in their room after finally deciphering those notes. When Major Armstrong came to see how the boys were, Ross and Brosch ended up telling him everything. _Well_, Moody mused, noting the soldiers' reaction to the Major's interrogation methods, _it's to be expected. That Armstrong fellow could probably shock information out of just about anyone, the way he catches people off-guard_.

Without any delay, Armstrong stormed off to "rouse the Elric Brothers from their depressive state." Moody trailed along behind Ross and Brosch to see for himself how the young alchemists were handling the weight of the truth they had discovered.

"Elric Brothers, open up! This is the Major!" Not waiting for admittance, Armstrong ripped the handle off of the door and entered. "I know what it said, Edward Elric!"

To say the brothers were shocked to hear this news would be a severe understatement.

"How tragic!" Armstrong continued, tears pouring forth from his eyes like hoses. "To think the legend of the Philosopher's Stone is built on such a terrible secret!"

"We're… we're really sorry," Ross apologized in response to Ed's sudden glare in her direction.

"It's really hard to say 'no' when someone like _him_ asks you," Brosch added.

Armstrong struck a dramatic pose before concluding his emotional rant. "Often the truth is more cruel than we bargain for."

Ed's eyes widened, and Moody could tell he had just remembered something important.

"'The truth!'" he cried.

"What is it, Ed?" Al asked.

"Something Marcoh said. 'Maybe you can find the truth hidden within the truth.' I didn't have a clue what he was talking about then, but now… We can't give up. There's still more to find here."

Over the next half-an-hour or so, the Elric Brothers, Armstrong, and his two subordinates examined a detailed map of Central. From it, Ed determined that any more information concerning the Philosopher's Stone would be at the supposedly-abandoned Fifth Laboratory. When Major Armstrong finally rolled up the map and rose to leave, he turned to face the others.

"This has the potential of becoming a political nightmare. I'll look into what we talked about tonight. In the meantime," he added, glancing at Ross and Brosch, "speak of this to no one."

"Sir," both replied, saluting him.

Armstrong now focused his gaze on Ed and Al. "And you, Elric Brothers, behave yourselves!" When they twitched nervously, steam fumed from his nostrils as he towered over them menacingly. "I know you boys. You were thinking of sneaking off and investigating this facility! ADMIT IT!"

The two young alchemists shook their heads vigorously. "We weren't! We weren't! We promise!"

Moody chuckled to himself so no one else would hear. "Liars."

* * *

So far, everything was going smoothly. Ed and Al had successfully snuck past the guards stationed at the Fifth Laboratory (proof that it wasn't so abandoned after all) and made it over the outer walls. Getting a boost from Al, Ed decided to venture inside on his own through an air duct, telling Al to wait for him in the courtyard.

Ed cursed as he slithered through the vent. "This is tighter than I thought. If I were normal-sized, I wouldn't have fit. Luckily, I've got a small body."

Only then did he realize what had just come out of this mouth. "OH NO! I JUST CALLED MYSELF A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!"

At last, he reached the end of the air duct. Kicking open a grate, he dropped to the floor and took in his surroundings.

"The lights are on," he noted. "'Not currently in use' – who are they kidding?" It was almost comical.

"This is it," he affirmed, setting off down the corridor. After winding through several curving hallways, Ed entered a large room. On the floor was drawn a large transmutation circle: two rings joined by an inscribed pentagon.

"What is this?" Ed wondered. "I'm guessing this is what they use to transmute Philosopher's Stones."

"That is correct," a deep, echoing voice called from the shadows. A figured emerged, a large man clad in full armor and bearing a long sword. "I must say, you figured out a great deal just by looking at a transmutation circle."

"I'm just good that way. Who are you, pal?"

"The guardian of this place," the man in armor declared. "For the moment, let's say my name is Number 48."

"And, believe me," he added, raising his weapon threateningly, "I'm not your pal. It is my duty to deal with intruders, so I'm going to have to kill you. Try not to take it personally, boy."

"Okay, I won't," Edward agreed, transmuting the outer plating of his arm into a short blade. "And you try not to take it personally when this _boy_ kicks your ass!"

The man's glowing eyes narrowed with interest. "You're an alchemist, are you?" In a burst of surprising speed, he rushed forward until he was only inches from Ed's face. "All right, then, let's see what you're made of."

Ed gulped, hoping desperately that he hadn't just bitten off more than he could chew.

* * *

Moody had known exactly when the Elric Brothers had run off; he'd watched through the wall as they'd transmuted a rope and scurried out the window. When the two Amestrian soldiers finally discovered that their charges were missing and headed after them to the Fifth Laboratory, however, Moody decided it was time for action.

Naturally, he beat Ross and Brosch to the site by Apparating, but thought it prudent to refrain from any further demonstrations of magic unless deemed necessary. Upon his arrival, the first thing he noticed was the younger Elric locked in combat with another suit of armor.

"Do you need any assistance, lad?" the old wizard called.

Al sent his opponent flying into a wall before responding. "Uh, no – thank you – I can handle him."

"If you say so. I'll be heading in after your brother, then."

"Please do. He's been in there for a while now."

"Right," Moody agreed, heading for the main entrance at once. Finding it barred, he whipped out his wand and discreetly disabled all of the alarms and traps, unlocking the door with a final flick. As he hobbled along the corridors, his magical eye roved in all directions, trying to locate the other Elric boy.

Surprisingly, it was his ears that pointed him in the right direction first, not his eye. The old wizard figured this anomaly was due to the concrete walls – ever since that Death Eater had used his eye, it hadn't been quite the same. Now that he knew where to look, however, he could see all that was happening as well as hear the reverberating echoes of voices.

The Elric boy was wounded considerably, slumped against a stone column. He was gaping at the two other people in the room with him: a beautiful woman with long black hair and a… well, Moody was unsure at first whether it was a man or a woman. Upon hearing the androgynous being's voice, he decided to call it a man.

"Quit your blubbering, _you idiot_!" The man-thing thundered, stabbing a long sword into the backplate of a suit of armor. "You were trying to kill one of our _most important sacrifices_! You could have messed up _the entire plan_! WHAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE THEN, HUH?"

As Moody quickened his pace, Edward got shakily to his feet. "Who are you people? Why are you here? What do you mean by 'important sacrifice?'"

"Oh my," the man-thing taunted, sneering at the boy, "looks like the pipsqueak's raring to go. I think I made it angry."

A vein stood out on Ed's forehead. "Don't call me 'pipsqueak.'"

"Then what would you prefer, eh, pipsqueak?"

The young alchemist kicked out at the man-thing, but it easily avoided his swing.

"Whoa, now," it protested, "there's no need to fight here."

Ed clapped his hands in preparation to transmute. "This is a fight that you started, so _come on_!"

Before he could make a move, however, a loud _SNAP_ came from his right shoulder, and the attached arm fell uselessly to his side.

"Technical difficulties?" the woman inquired.

The man-thing smirked, approaching Ed once more. "Lucky me!" it cried cheerfully, grabbing Ed by the hair and kneeing him in the diaphragm. "You're lucky your arm's broken, or you wouldn't be getting off this easily."

Once the man-thing released Ed, he fell to the floor and lay motionless.

"Don't forget this, boy," the woman purred. "Always remember we allowed you to live." She then turned to her companion. "We can't have him snooping around this place again; it's too dangerous. It'll have to go. Blow it up."

At that moment, Moody finally reached the room. On instinct, he drew his wand and pointed it at the two mysterious beings. "Hold it right there!"

They looked at him with their cold, slit-pupiled eyes.

"Well, well," the man-thing chuckled, "looks like someone else has come to play." It then noticed Moody's magical eye and whistled. "And I thought Wrath had the Ultimate Eye."

"Quiet, Envy," the woman chided.

The thing called Envy shot her a nasty glare, but it then returned its attention to Moody. "If you've come for the pipsqueak, feel free to take him. His life's not in any danger, but he has lost a lot of blood, so you should probably get him to a hospital quick as you can. Also, try to stop him from taking these risks; he's a precious resource."

While the strange being rambled, Moody got a good look at both it and the woman. A tremendous energy flowed inside each of their bodies, powered by a Philosopher's Stone. _No doubt about it_, Moody confirmed to himself, _these two are Homunculi_.

"We'll just be going now," the woman crooned, turning her back on Moody and walking toward the shadows.

"Hold on a moment!" Moody protested, pointing his wand directly at her retreating figure.

"Ha! And what's that little stick going to do?" Envy jeered before following his partner and vanishing into the darkness. "Which will it be: pursue us, or save the pipsqueak?"

Left with little choice in the matter, Moody hoisted the young alchemist over his shoulder and carried him back down the hallway that led outside. Even as he did so, the building began to shake violently. _Damn_, Moody grumbled to himself, _it's just as Hohenheim had feared_.

* * *

When Ed regained consciousness, his situation seemed to plummet downhill: he was forced to stay a hospital room that reeked of disinfectant, he was slapped and admonished by a concerned Lieutenant Ross, and – on top of everything else – his automail _still_ wasn't working correctly.

"At this rate, I'm going to have to call Winry all the way out here," he groaned. "She'll be furious, and the last thing I need is more injuries."

Moody, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, rose and approached the boy's cot. "Let me see it."

"Wh… what?" Ed replied, perplexed.

"I don't know nearly as much about automail as the Rockbell girl, but I had to know enough to keep my own functioning, didn't I?"

Considering what poor shape Moody had let his automail reach, his words were hardly comforting, but Ed wasn't really in the mood to argue with the old wizard. He sat up straight and let Moody's magical eye examine his shoulder.

"Perhaps it's just that something just needs to be slid into place or…" Moody stopped mid-sentence as his eye fixed its gaze upon something Ed couldn't see.

"What is it?"

"There's one screw missing. I suppose the Rockbell girl forgot it."

"That's _all_? I don't believe this! If not for _one missing screw_, things at the Fifth Lab would've happened a lot differently. I would have creamed those freaks in black."

"Those monsters would have handed you your own foolish ass – make no mistake," Moody corrected, pulling out his wand and tapping it on Ed's shoulder. Immediately, he could feel the joints fitting back together.

"Hey," he grinned, rotating his arm in the newly-restored socket, "thanks a lot, old man. Yeah, that's perfect." Then, his smile faded as he considered Moody's words. "Who were those people, anyway?"

"Do I look like a compendium of knowledge, boy?"

Ed sighed. Answering a question with a question? He knew that tactic all too well. Realizing that Moody had no intention of telling him what he knew at this point, Ed decided it was best to drop the subject.

"Where's Al?" he asked instead. "He does know he can come in the room, right?"

"Something seems to be bothering the lad, but he hasn't said anything about it."

"Weird… that's not like him at all."

"If it's important, he'll come out with it," Moody assured him, thumping the invalid heartily on the back. Unfortunately, this only made Ed feel worse, physically _and_ emotionally. Something was wrong with Al, and he was determined to find out what.

* * *

The next few days passed without incident, unless Ed could count Lieutenant Colonel Hughes's regular visits as "incidents." Eventually, Al began to come into the room and sit with him, but he hardly spoke to his older brother or even looked at him. Ed knew that, sooner or later, he would have to force Al into a conversation in order to find out what was bothering him.

A perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of hospital food. Placed conspicuously on the tray was a bottle of milk – Edward's relentless nemesis.

"So we meet again, you little bastard," he glared at the liquid of doom. "I'm not gonna drink you."

Al sighed, and Ed knew he had taken the bait. "Brother, you have a living body that needs nourishment. You have to drink it."

"I don't have to drink it if I don't wanna," Ed insisted, biting off the end of his bread stick. "I don't see why everyone makes a big deal about it. I may not look it, but I have gotten taller."

Caught up in his own emotions now, Ed's mouth got ahead of his common sense. "I wish I was like you, Al. You've got such a big body now."

Al jumped to his feet, knocking over the stool he had been sitting on, and yelled, "It's not like I _asked_ for this body, Brother!"

Realizing how cruel his words must have sounded, Ed hung his head in shame. "You're right. It's my fault it happened. But, I'm gonna make it right. I'll get your original body back, you'll see-"

"That's what you always say, but you don't know that for sure."

"Look, I promise, I'm going to get it back, Al. Believe me-"

"_Believe_ you? How am I supposed to believe anything when I'm stuck in this body? What should I rely on: my memories? Memories are just scraps of information that can be made up as easily as anything else!"

"Al… what are you saying?"

"Remember in the hotel when you said there was something you were afraid to tell me?" Al asked, trying to calm his voice. "I think… I think I might know what it was. Maybe you were going to say that my soul and my memories are artificial constructions you created."

Ed's eyes widened and his face paled. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Where was this coming from?

"You've been using me as your puppet this whole time. You, Winry, and Granny – you've all been lying to me, haven't you? What do you have to say for yourself, '_Brother_?'"

Edward slammed his fists on the food tray, rattling the untouched bottle of milk and knocking bits of his meal onto the floor. He was trembling, but whether it was from fear or rage, he couldn't tell.

"Have you honestly… have you really believed that all this time?" Alphonse made no reply.

"Are you finished?" Ed continued, "or is there something else you'd like to say?"

Silence.

The elder Elric sighed heavily, his clenched fists finally relaxing. "All right." He pushed the food cart away from his bedside and stood. Alphonse made no protest as Ed walked to the door of the room, pushed it open, and left him alone.

* * *

_Something is most certainly wrong_, Moody concluded darkly. The Elric Brothers hadn't spoken to each other for two days now – not a single word. Had they argued about something – perhaps whatever had been weighing on Alphonse's mind? The lad now sat outside of his brother's hospital room, not speaking to anyone or even moving at all. It was like the young boy's soul had finally vacated the colossal suit of armor, leaving behind its empty shell.

Edward, on the other hand, seemed to be distracting himself from this strain in their relationship by talking to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and Major Armstrong. They had been inside with him for over an hour now, no doubt getting a detailed account of what had happened on the young alchemist's excursion into the Fifth Laboratory. Ross and Brosch continued to stand guard outside of the Elric boy's room; he would be safe for the time being.

Moody was considering catching a few winks when he heard footsteps and roused himself immediately. Fast-approaching was a distinguished-looking man well into his middle years with black hair slicked back, a mustache covering his upper lip, and a patch over his left eye. As the man strode past, his gaze met Moody's for only an instant, but that was all it took. In that one moment, the two men bore into each other with their eyes, peeling back the layers, each laying bare the other's secrets. By the time the man took another step down the corridor, _he_ knew that Moody was a _wizard_, and Moody knew that _he_ was a H_omunculus_.

When Lieutenant Ross addressed the man as Fuhrer Bradley, Moody's mind began working furiously. If the leader of this country was a Homunculus, and these monsters were indeed planning on causing destruction in Amestris on a catastrophic scale, if everything Hohenheim had briefed Moody on was true… then he knew his next course of action.

* * *

After Fuhrer Bradley nonchalantly left through the window, Edward needed a moment to stop his heart from jumping. _There's only so much shock one wounded alchemist can take,_ he thought miserably. Nevertheless, this latest development was certainly curious. The Fuhrer wanted them to stop looking into the matter of the Philosopher's Stone and the Fifth Lab until he deemed otherwise? If Ed didn't know any better, he'd think that Bradley just wanted to hush this up and keep him from uncovering any more dirt on the _government's_ involvement in this matter.

Major Armstrong finally excused himself so he could return to his duties, but Ed basically had to force Hughes to go away.

"Alright, alright," the Lieutenant Colonel said at last, laughing genially, "I'll be off in a moment." Then, his expression became far more serious, almost saddened. "Are you and Alphonse fighting?"

"Wh… what?" Ed blinked, taken aback by this abrupt question. "N… no, we-"

"It's written all over your face," Hughes explained. "Listen, Ed, I may not know everything about your situation, but I know that all you and Al really have left… is each other. Don't lose that."

Ed sighed, dropping his gaze to a dusty spot on the tile floor. "He's gotten the idea into his head that I-"

"I don't need to know the details," Hughes assured him.

"He's started believing a lie about how he got that body."

"Then all you should have to do is set him straight, right?"

"I guess, but…" Ed didn't finish his sentence aloud. _Then I'll have to tell him what I really was afraid to say before_.

"You can do it," Hughes encouraged him, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," Ed managed as Hughes pushed open the door. As it swung shut, a sinking feeling struck Ed in his gut, as if this might be the last time he ever saw the Lieutenant Colonel.

Before he had time to process these dark thoughts, Moody entered, pulling a dazed Al by the arm. For a moment, Edward was afraid that the old wizard was about to force the brothers into an "awkward apology session," but this theory was instantly proven wrong.

"You boys can't stay here any longer."

"Huh?" Ed gaped.

"It isn't safe for you to stay here any longer."

"In the hospital?"

"No, boy, I'm taking about the entire country! Something evil is afoot here, and it's set its eyes on you. Don't you remember how that Envy being said you were an 'important sacrifice?' That should give you some idea."

"So you do know who they are!" Ed cried triumphantly.

"Yes, but it's far too dangerous for me to give you such information here. They could be watching us even now." Even as he said this, his magical eye spun dizzyingly in its socket, perhaps looking for a hidden camera or microphone.

"So," Al asked, finally speaking up, "where are you taking us?"

"Somewhere safe. I can't tell you where exactly this place is, but I can promise that no unwanted persons would ever find you there."

Ed raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What if I don't want to go?"

Moody didn't miss a beat. "Then I'll drag you there by the hair, boy. When I make up my mind to do something, I see it through, by any means necessary. So, when I say I'm taking you and your brother to a safe location, you can bet that red coat of yours that I'm going to do precisely that."

"So," he added, tossing a neatly folded pile of Ed's clothes to him, "get changed so we can get going."

Deciding it was wisest not to anger Moody in his current mood, Ed pulled off the thin hospital garments and slipped into his usual attire. Someone must have washed his clothes, because they smelled like sunshine, as if they had been hung outside for drying. The scent pulled Ed's thoughts to home – a happy childhood with Al and the Rockbells… and his mother.

"Finished daydreaming?" Moody grunted roughly, bringing Ed back to earth. When the young alchemist nodded, the old wizard motioned for the boys to come closer.

"I need to make sure you two won't be seen. Best to take extra precautions," he explained as he pulled out his wand.

"Wait," Ed protested, "what are you going to-"

"Just stand still, boy," came the gruff reply. Moody tapped Edward on the head with his wand, and Ed suddenly developed a strange sensation. It was like the old man had just cracked an egg over him, and now the slimy insides were dripping down his body, coating him. He shuddered, trying to shake off the feeling as Moody proceeded to cast the same spell on Alphonse. When the brothers looked at each other to see what had happened, they both gave a little yelp. They weren't exactly invisible; it was more like their bodies had decided to blend in with their surroundings. They looked rather like a pair of chameleons.

"Disillusionment Charm," Moody summarized. "Now," he ordered as he stepped in-between them, "each of you grab an arm, and – whatever you do – don't let go until I say so."

The brothers obeyed without a word. Ed could tell that this command was potentially a matter of life and death, and he suspected that Al understood this as well. It was strange how, even though he and Al weren't talking to each other, how he could still guess what was going on inside that metal head.

"Brace yourselves," Moody advised. Ed closed his eyes and redoubled his grip on Moody's thick arm, still wondering why the old wizard was making all this fuss.

In another moment, he knew exactly why.

* * *

A/N: Yes, a cliffhanger of sorts, but nothing _too_ terrible.

I tried to remember as much as possible from Episodes 7-10 of _Brotherhood_ to make it more accurate, but some of the lines are altered or substituted where I can't recall the original ones.

About Winry… I cut her out because I wouldn't have a clear way to get rid of her after she had fixed Ed's automail. She wouldn't just let Ed and Al traipse off to some foreign land so easily, and she couldn't go to Rush Valley without them, so I decided it was better to just leave her out of it at this point. Fear not, I intend to bring her back into the story at a later point.

Next stop: the Harry Potter universe! Yay! ^_^


	3. An Unhappy Reunion

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Now that the story will be in wizarding territory, I'll be reading _Order of the Phoenix _obsessively. Don't worry, though, the _Fullmetal_ aspects will stay loud and clear. I've got some solid ideas for future adaptations of both stories as the plot progresses. After all, this is a **fanfiction**; if I delivered the same exact story, that would be: (1) plagiarizing, (2) predictable, and (3) pointless. Nevertheless, I will do my best to keep the characters accurate and the situations believable.

Thank you for the reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**An Unhappy Reunion**

He was being stretched, squished, and twisted in different directions at once. This was definitely unnatural, and yet… it reminded him of something. Suddenly, it hit him: it was almost like being deconstructed and reconstructed, almost like the time Edward had entered the Portal of Truth.

And then, it was over. All three travelers stood on the pavement of a dark city street. Ed could almost have mistaken it for any old street in Central, but he knew better.

"Whoa," Alphonse gasped, speaking for only the second time that day. Ed wondered what Al had experienced, not having a body, but he must have at least seen what had happened, unlike Ed. Eventually, the young alchemist realized that he was shaking all over.

"Walk it off if you need to," Moody suggested, releasing his arms from the brothers and looking up into the sky. "Most people vomit after their first time Apparating."

"Can't imagine why," Ed laughed sarcastically, feeling rather nauseous. To distract his thoughts, he looked around at the houses. They were all of the same design: plain bricks, a few windows, a front gate; to be honest, it was sickeningly repetitive. All the lights were off, save for a lonely streetlamp, so Ed figured that they had arrived sometime between the late night and early morning.

"What now?" he asked after a few minutes of unnatural silence.

"A word of advice, boy," Moody replied, "use your mouth less and your eyes more. The key to success is constant vigilance. Got that?"

"Uh…"

Suddenly, a brilliant flame appeared above their heads. On instinct, Ed thought of Colonel Mustang's Flame Alchemy, but soon realized he was mistaken. It was a bird, an enormous, fiery-red bird. It hovered in front of Moody, extending one of its legs toward him. From its talons Moody pulled a folded piece of paper.

"Much obliged, Fawkes," he muttered to the bird. "Give my regards to Dumbledore."

The magnificent creature seemed to understand, and, in another burst of flame, it was gone.

"What was that?" Al gawked.

"A phoenix," Moody answered simply, unfolding the paper and scanning it once with both eyes. He then offered it to the brothers (Ed guessed that his magical eye could see through the Disillusionment Charm he'd put on them; otherwise, locating them on that dark street would be difficult at best).

"Read this and memorize it," he barked. Ed took the paper and held it so that Al could read as well. Written on the parchment was a short message in thin, slanting handwriting.

_To the Elric Brothers,_

_Welcome to England, and the Wizarding World as a whole. For your own safety, please proceed immediately to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, located in London at number twelve, Grimmauld Place._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wolfrich Brian Dumbledore_

"Finished?" Moody asked, his tone becoming increasingly irritated, as if standing on this dark street for too long made him nervous. When the brothers nodded, Moody snatched the paper back and set it aflame with his wand-tip.

"Best not to leave any evidence," he explained. "Now, look around and think about what you've just read."

Ed complied, noting to himself that this had to be a new record for "consecutively following orders from one person." Ed's eyes skimmed the surrounding buildings until he found a house with the number eleven, but next to it was a house with the number thirteen. Ed stared hard at the gap in-between the two, as if expecting the missing house to appear there. To his surprise, it actually did. Number twelve sprang up like an inflated balloon, pushing its neighbors out of the way. Since the inhabitants were surely sound asleep, Ed doubted that they would notice anything, especially if they were… what had Moody called them? Muggles, that was it.

Once number twelve had finished materializing, Moody waved his wand over the handle of the front door. Ed could hear the _clicks_ of many deadbolts retracting. When the old wizard turned the knob and opened the door, he motioned for the brothers to follow him. As soon as they had all crossed the threshold, Moody shut and re-locked the door behind them. They now stood in a narrow hallway, illuminated only by a thin stream of light coming from a cracked-open door at the other end.

"That's odd," Moody thought aloud, "even at this hour, I'd have thought more of us would be around."

"Well, maybe that Dumbledore guy didn't tell them we were coming," Ed hypothesized.

"Could be," the old wizard grumbled, turning to the brothers and lifting the Disillusionment Charm. "Wait here for a moment," he instructed as he hobbled toward the room at the far end of the passage.

And, just like that, Ed and Al were alone in the darkness, not saying a word to each other. Ed could feel the tension of his mutual silent treatment with Al weighing on him like a ball-and-chain. He remembered Hughes's words: _"All you should have to do is set him straight… you can do it."_ Edward opened his mouth to speak, but new noises from the room Moody had entered stopped him before he even began: the scraping of chair legs, the scuffling of feet, and the muttering of several deep voices.

The door swung open, and a tall man stood silhouetted by the light behind him.

"Wait for the rest of us, Hohenheim," another man called as he poked his head out of the doorway, "We want to get a look at your sons, too."

_Hohenheim? No, it couldn't be._ Even as Ed tried to fathom this possibility, someone turned on the gas lamps along the hallway, allowing everyone to see each other. And there he was, exactly as Ed remembered him. A long pent-up anger began rising up inside of the young alchemist. What was _he_ doing _here_?

"Dad?" Al asked, breaking the moment of silence. Hohenheim blinked at the suit of armor, confusion mixing with surprise in his features.

"If you three are going to talk, you should take it out of the main hall," Moody warned, pointing at a door that led off from the passage.

"Alastor's right," the man who had spoken before agreed, running a hand through his long black hair. "The last thing we need is my mother's portrait raving at _this_ hour."

Hohenheim nodded, heading right for the door Moody had indicated, as if he was eager to get away from Ed's intense gaze. Ed didn't really blame him for that; he had always prided himself on having a particularly nasty death-stare. When the brothers didn't immediately follow, Moody gave them a look that clearly said, "Get in there, or else." Feeling much more motivated all of a sudden, they trudged into the side room, Ed taking the lead and Al shutting the door behind them.

Hohenheim seemed to have regained his composure. He smiled warmly at them, much too warmly for Ed's tastes. "It's good to see you, boys," he said evenly, "although, I must say, I didn't expect Alphonse to have gotten so much taller than you, Edward."

This was possibly the worst way in which the conversation could have started. Not only did this remark ratchet Ed's anger to an even higher level, but it also brought to mind the argument in the hospital. It was clear that Al had remembered the fight as well – most people couldn't detect any emotion in that metallic face, but Ed could.

"Well, Dad," Al tried to explain, his armor rattling and muffling his voice, "you see-"

"Mom's dead," Ed declared bluntly. He watched as Hohenheim absorbed those two words, processing their meaning. As if in a daze, he half-collapsed into a chair, gripping his knees for support.

"Dead?" he choked, his voice trembling. "How? When?"

"The very same year you left. She was never the same, always looking out the window, wasting away while she waited for a man who wasn't coming back, and when she caught an illness, that was all it took."

Hohenheim buried his face in his hands, shaking with silent grief.

"But, do you want to know what the _real_ kicker is? Four years ago, Al and I tried to bring her back."

The strong, weathered hands fell away from Hohenheim's pain-stricken face. He raised his head to gape at his son.

"That's right. We committed the taboo: Human Transmutation. But it didn't work. At a result, I lost my left leg, and Al was taken completely." Ed pushed his right sleeve up, showing his father the automail arm. "All I could do was bind Al's soul to that suit of armor by giving up my right arm. Go on, take a good look!"

"Brother," Al said tentatively, "maybe you shouldn't be so harsh about this-"

"I thought _you_ weren't talking to me!" Ed snapped at his little brother before rounding on Hohenheim once again. All of his anger was pouring out of him; there was no stopping it now.

"And then, to find you _here_! You vanish for a _decade_, only to show up in the Wizarding World! You abandoned us so you could go gallivanting off with these "magic" freaks; admit it!"

"Edward," Hohenheim began haltingly, "It's not like that, I-"

"Oh, it's _not_? Then tell me, how is it, _exactly_?"

His father opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out.

"Just as I thought," Ed scoffed. "I shouldn't have expected any better. I'll be honest – I actually used to think you were _scary_, but now… I can see you're just a coward. Tell me the truth – did you _ever_ love us, or did you just hang around Mom for a few laughs, but, when she started having kids, you decided to duck out?"

Hohenheim looked like Edward had just shot him, but he still said nothing.

"YOU MAKE ME SICK!" Ed yelled, turning on his heel and charging toward the door. Alphonse extended his arm as if to stop him, but Ed swatted it away and yanked open the door, slamming it behind him.

* * *

On the other side, Edward found Moody and the two other men who had been talking with Hohenheim earlier. Had they been listening? Ed was sure that Moody had watched them with that magical eye of his. Ed glared at each of them in turn before storming off down the hallway. He was completely consumed by his long-contained rage. He didn't know or care where his feet took him, or even how long he wandered up and down staircases and corridors. He just wanted to be alone.

At last, Ed found himself standing in front of a plain door. Finding it unlocked and the room beyond empty, he ducked inside. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see that he was in a dark, dusty drawing room occupied with outdated upholstery. Ed stumbled toward the far wall, leaning against it for support as soon as he reached it. In front of him was an old writing desk. Seized with a sudden urge to vent his wrath, Ed punched his automail fist clean through its lid. _If it's important, one of the wizards can fix it later_, he grumbled. Feeling a little better now, Ed turned to leave the room, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Alphonse standing in-between him and the exit.

"Al?" Ed asked, his voice a little hoarse, "you must have been awfully quiet to sneak in here without me hearing you."

"I thought you weren't talking to me," Al retorted. The elder Elric winced slightly at having his own words thrown back in his face, but he figured he probably deserved it.

"You were pretty determined to send Dad on a guilt trip just now," Al continued, "but isn't that just dumping your _own_ guilt onto him?"

Ed raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Al?"

"I'm talking about the part _you_ played in the human transmutation. It was _your_ idea to begin with; remember? You kept pushing and pushing – only to get both of us nearly killed."

Al had never talked about that night like _this_ before.

"Or, at least, that's what my memories tell me, but I don't even know if I can trust them anymore, or _you_. You never gave me an answer back in the hospital. Why wouldn't you say anything?"

"Because, Al, that crazy idea was so out of the blue that I didn't know what to say!"

"That's your excuse?" Al laughed in a manner most unlike his normal self. "Fine, let's say I do believe you. It doesn't change the fact that you're the one who put me in this armor, the one who made me like this."

"I know that, Al, and I'm sorry, but-"

"'I'm sorry?' You think you can just say 'I'm sorry' and that'll make everything okay?"

"I'm going to fix things, Al; I promise-"

"Words! That's all you give me! How can you expect me to keep living off your empty words?"

"Al…" Ed was losing the ability to speak altogether. The red eyes glowed menacingly out of their dark, metal sockets.

"It's time I told you how I've really felt this whole time! Whether I'm your puppet or your brother, this mockery of a life I have is a living hell thanks to you! You did this to me… and I will _never_ forgive you."

Ed could barely breathe, staring at his little brother in horror and shaking his head in disbelief. "No…"

"'No…'" Al repeated, mocking Ed with a pitiful squeak. "Do I need to spell it out more clearly? I hate you."

The young alchemist fell to his knees in front of the large suit of armor, gazing up helplessly into the cold face. "Al… Al, please…"

"No! No more apologies! No more excuses! I hate you, my so-called brother! I've hated you for all these years, and nothing will stop me from continuing to hate you!"

"Stop," Ed begged, covering his ears, trying in vain to block out the pain of Al's words.

"You don't deserve my forgiveness! You don't even deserve to live while I suffer like this _every_ moment!"

"Stop, please…"

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

"STOP IT!" Ed screamed.

_BANG!_ The door behind Al slammed open, and in stepped Hohenheim. He took one look at Edward, then at Alphonse, and comprehension dawned on his face. Without any hesitation, he whipped out a wand, pointed it at the suit of armor, and spoke quite clearly.

"Riddikulus."

There was a loud _CRACK_, and suddenly, it was no longer Al who stood in the room with them, but Trisha Elric. She smiled at Hohenheim and began to walk toward him, but with each step, she aged. Just as she was about to crumble into dust in front of him, Hohenheim waved his wand, and she was gone in a puff of smoke. Ed could have sworn that a solitary tear traced a path down his father's cheek.

"Edward," he said quietly, meeting Ed's gaze, "I'm so sorry – about everything. I should have been there for you boys."

As sincere as Hohenheim's words were, it didn't matter. Ed couldn't hear him anymore, or anything at all; a loud ringing had filled his ears, blocking out all sound. Worse, his vision was blurring at an alarming rate. He couldn't speak, move, or even breathe. In another moment, his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.

* * *

After Ed had left in a temper, Alphonse had tried to apologize on his brother's behalf. "He's just upset. Brother's always taken these things harder than I have. I'm sure that you had a good reason for leaving."

"Thank you, Son," Hohenheim had replied, looking a little more cheerful. "If… if you don't mind staying a bit longer, I'll tell you everything."

Al had nodded, taking a seat across from his father. "I'd like that, Dad."

With that, Hohenheim had started at the beginning, the _very_ beginning, back to his life in Xerxes where he had first met the being who called itself "Homunculus." After the Homunculus had taken the souls of the Xerxian people to form a powerful Philosopher's Stone, Hohenheim made his way to Xing as the only survivor of his culture. He traveled for many years, eventually coming to England. Upon learning about magic, Hohenheim resolved to keep the Wizarding World and his native region from discovering each other and constructed a two-way Fidelius Charm. As hazardous as it would be for a wizard to study true alchemy, he knew that the far worse danger lay in the possibility of the Homunculus harnessing the power of magic. By forming the barrier, any and all knowledge of the two realms' interaction disappeared, save for that which Hohenheim knew and chose to share with a select few. Centuries later, Pinako Rockbell introduced Hohenheim to a young girl named Trisha Elric. Despite the immediate attraction between the two, Hohenheim soon returned to England. By this time, Lord Voldemort had risen to power. Hohenheim aided the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society formed by Albus Dumbledore to fight this Dark Wizard. During the long years of this struggle, Hohenheim occasionally visited Risembool, and every time he did, he fell more deeply in love with Trisha, who by now had grown into a beautiful young woman. Almost two years before Voldemort's reign of terror ended, Hohenheim left the Order in order to settle down with Trisha. It was a few years later that he discovered something terrible: Amestris's true purpose was to serve as the basis for a giant transmutation circle, much like the one in Xerxes. Convinced of the Homunculus's involvement, Hohenheim left Risembool once again, asking Trisha to wait for him with their two sons. Ten years later, having nearly finished with the preparations against this threat, Hohenheim had been heading back to East Amestris (and Risembool) when he received an urgent message from Dumbledore. Voldemort had returned, even more powerful and dangerous than before; it was news that Hohenheim could not simply ignore, resulting in his presence at Grimmauld Place when Ed and Al arrived.

When Hohenheim brought his tale to a close, he waited for some reaction from Alphonse. The boy had listened patiently to his father's story, never interrupting or questioning him.

"Still awake?" Hohenheim asked genially. Alphonse jolted slightly, then nodded.

"Uh, yeah. It's just a lot. You were a slave, and now you're a Philosopher's Stone?"

"Well, that's one way of summing it up."

"Wow… I mean, your story all makes sense… and so do some other things. Those people that Ed met in the Fifth Laboratory, do you think they were in league with the Homunculus?"

"From what Alastor told me, I'm sure of it. In fact, I believe there's a possibility that they were… _born_ of him."

"Born?"

"It's just a theory," Hohenheim explained, "but these new Homunculi could have been formed from pieces of the original Homunculus's soul – his very being."

"What makes you think that?"

"One of the Homunculi was named Envy. It wouldn't surprise me if the original Homunculus created a set of seven, each one named for one of the Seven Deadly Sins of Man. For example, perhaps the woman Alastor mentioned was Lust."

"I see. So, how would we find the other five?"

"I don't know. For now, it's best if you and Ed lay low here. Since both of you have seen the Truth, that makes you valuable to them."

"Uh, the thing is… I don't remember seeing this 'Truth' thing. I can't just clap my hands to transmute like Brother and Teacher."

Hohenheim had raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hmm… maybe the trauma of that night repressed the memory… wait, you said your teacher can transmute with her bare hands as well?"

"Yes, and now that I think about it, she did mention something about 'the Truth' once."

"This isn't good. At this rate, he'll have all the sacrifices he needs."

"Not quite. Even if Teacher has seen the Truth, that only makes four when we include you, Brother, and me. You said five was the crucial number."

"Still… four is much too close to five for my liking."

They both sighed heavily. At length, Al changed the subject. "Dad… there's something I need to confess. At the Fifth Laboratory, when I fought Barry the Chopper, he planted this idea in my head."

"What idea?"

"He told me that I wasn't really Ed's brother, just a puppet he had created to do his bidding. And I believed him! When I finally told Ed a few days ago, he got really upset, and we haven't spoken properly since. I've been so confused… until now. Talking with you… it's assured me that what Barry said was a lie. Even though you've been gone so many years, you know me so well it's like you never left. You treat me like a normal human, despite this armor… and that's all the proof I need."

Hohenheim smiled at his son. "I'm glad I could help, Alphonse." Then, he stood and stretched. Al noticed that Ed often did the same thing after a long talk. _I guess they are a lot alike, even if they don't know it_, he mused.

"Now," his father declared, smoothing the front of his vest, "I think it's time we went looking for Edward, don't you?"

"Uh… are you sure? Brother can keep a bad temper going for hours when provoked enough."

"I'll risk it," Hohenheim chuckled. "Should we search together or separately?"

"We'll cover more ground if we split up," Al decided, following his father back into the main hallway.

* * *

As Al searched for his brother, he wondered if number twelve, Grimmauld Place, had been magically enhanced so that it was larger on the inside than on the outside. Whether it was or not, the place was certainly more confusing than he had expected it to be. Having found neither hide nor hair of Edward, Al thought to himself, _I wonder if Dad's had any more luck_. As he passed the first landing on the main staircase, he got his answer.

"Is that you, Alphonse?" Hohenheim called.

"Yeah," Al responded, tracing the voice into a nearby drawing room. "Did you find Ed?" It was then that Al saw his older brother collapsed on the floor. "Brother! What happened? Why is he-"

"He's in shock," Hohenheim explained, motioning for Al to calm down and lower his voice. "It's not life-threatening; it's purely emotional."

Al knelt on the dusty carpet next to his father. "How did he get like this?"

"He accidentally released a boggart."

"A what?"

"A magical creature that takes the form of whatever a person fears most."

Al gasped softly. Considering how much tossing, turning, muttering, and even screaming Ed did in his sleep, Al could only imagine what horrors he saw almost every night. But to meet one of his nightmares in the daytime… the very thought sent a shiver through Al's soul.

"So, when will Brother come out of it?"

"I'm not sure exactly. Soon, I hope…" Hohenheim stood and patted Al on the shoulder. "Would you stay with him?"

"Of course, but where are you going?"

"Well, I think it'd be best if I'm not here when Edward comes to. I saw him in a moment of weakness. For that, I might get punched in the face."

"Brother wouldn't-" Al stopped himself as he considered this possibility, "or… maybe he would."

"Exactly," Hohenheim laughed softly. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Okay."

Once his father had shut the door on his way out, Al gently lifted Ed's stiffened form off of the floor. He cradled his brother in his arms, watching Ed's glazed stare with a mixture of pain and pity.

"Ed?" he asked, brushing some of his brother's loose bangs away from the pale face. "Brother, can you hear me?" Despite a lack of response, Al continued. "I want to apologize for what I said at the hospital, what I suggested. I never should have doubted you – I'm so sorry."

The sound of his voice seemed to be having some effect. The young blonde blinked slowly, then his gaze lazily wandered until it found the armored face.

"…Al…" Ed murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't try to talk yet," Al shushed, his protective brotherly instincts kicking in.

"No…" the elder Elric insisted, forcing himself to form the words. "…need… to ask… important…"

"What's so important?"

The young alchemist gulped. "Do… do you… hate me?"

If Alphonse still possessed physical eyes, he would have blinked in confusion. "What? Why would you ask that?"

"Because…" Ed was slowly starting to regain control of his voice. "Because that's… what I was afraid… to tell you before… in Central. I mean… I'm the one… who put you… in that body. It's my fault. You… you should hate me, so… do you?"

The fear in Ed's eyes told Alphonse that this wasn't a joke. _Where is this question coming from?_ he puzzled. And then he realized it: the boggart. It had taken the form of Ed's worst fear; had it been an Alphonse who hated him? The younger Elric sighed; he had only minutes ago conquered a lie about himself and his bond with his brother. Now, it was time for Al to help Ed do the same.

"Brother, listen to me. I don't hate you. Not once since I got this body have I resented or blamed you for what happened, and nothing you could ever do would _ever_ make me hate you. You're my brother; that's the end of it."

It was as if Al's words had broken a spell. Ed's tense body finally relaxed, and he sat up, taking deep breaths. Rather than meeting Al's gaze, however, he hung his head and began shaking severely.

"Ed?" Al asked, afraid he might make things worse by holding his brother still.

It was then that he noticed the drop of clear, watery liquid fall onto his armored leg. Another soon followed, and another. Al didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen his older brother cry since they had been young children.

"Thank you… Al," Ed choked, sniffling. "It might seem stupid, but… that thought has haunted me… since the beginning." He wiped his face with a gloved hand, bringing it away damp with tears. He laughed softly, "Some big brother I am, letting you see me like this."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Even you can't bottle up an emotion like that forever."

"Guess not," Ed agreed. Al could tell he was trying to calm himself, to force the child within him back into a box, but it wasn't working. The Fullmetal Alchemist had found his limit, his breaking point. He could no longer hold back the deluge of fear and guilt that he had dammed inside. Still making hardly a sound, Ed leaned his head against Al's chestplate and let the pain flow out of him. The younger Elric held his brother close, wishing more than anything that he could be human in this moment, that he could offer the comfort of warm flesh instead of cold steel. Al rocked slightly, whispering, "You'll be okay. It's going to be all right."

After many long minutes, the quiet sobs ceased. Ed didn't make any effort to sit up again, but his shoulders had finally slackened. Al decided it was safe at last to bring up another subject.

"Brother… I want… I think you should forgive Dad. He told me how sorry he was so many times, I lost count."

"Well, I only heard it once."

"_Brother_," Al groaned, noticing that Ed's snarky attitude was returning. "He really does care about us, and he deserves a second chance."

Ed laughed, a good sound to hear despite its sarcastic intent. "You've always been like that, Al – believing the best about people, giving them second chances… It's a great quality and all… but I don't have it. 'Sorry' might be enough for you… but it's gonna take… a lot more than that… for Hohenheim to… earn my trust." Ed's words were slowing, slurring slightly, but Al pressed him nonetheless.

"Then at least give him the chance to earn it. Please?"

"I'll… try… but don'… 'spect… mu…" His sentence decayed into unintelligible mumblings before fading away altogether.

"Ed?"

The only sound that greeted him was soft, steady breathing. Ed had sunk into sleep like a stone. Alphonse smiled inside.

"There's hope for you after all, Brother."

* * *

A/N: Enter Hohenheim! Yay! And then…. boggart!Al… (shudder)

Ha! I am so obsessive over details, I literally read Trisha's, Hohenheim's, and Edward's profile articles on the Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki all the way through to find the year-dates for all the _**major**_ events in the manga. I learned a lot…

Yes, I know Ed is characteristically a tough guy, but he's still a human with vulnerable moments. Don't worry; he'll be back to his old self in the next chapter.


	4. New Friends and New Plans

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I decided to take this opportunity to answer some of the questions asked of me in the reviews.

**Edward .E fangirl3456**: I'm sorry if things seem confusing; I tried to prevent that. Hopefully, it will all become clearer as the plot develops.

**moninaca**: I felt it was in-character for Moody to shell out advice, especially to an insubordinate punk like Ed. He has been known to do things like that, like when he tells Harry not to put his wand in his back pocket. The guy walks a fine line between paranoid and brilliant. Hohenheim hadn't seen the boys since they were little, so he wouldn't have any knowledge of Ed's personality or habits. And, yes, Harry will _definitely_ be his emo self, especially once he sees that this "alchemist" boy seems to be in on secret stuff with the Order.

**Upsilon 42**: The funny thing is that Ed sometimes _does_ come off as a spoiled brat who acts 10 (short rants, for example?) I had Ed lose so badly in Chp 1 because I figured there were plenty of fanfics in which Ed kicks Wizarding butt, and because it forced Ed to respect Moody (even if it's out of fear). He'll get his chance to land some attacks, don't you worry. I can envision Malfoy getting a bloody nose already… [laughs evilly]

**Dark- link 101**: I enjoy human!Al as well, but armor!Al is the only way this story can be done, since I'm deriving this from the manga/_Brotherhood_ plot.

In case any of you were wondering when more _Harry Potter_ characters would appear, your wait has come to an end. This chapter has more light-hearted moments (a break from the dark, serious stuff, as it were). Enjoy!

**EDIT**: Someone pointed out to me that Buckbeak isn't renamed Witherwings until Book 6. Sorry, everyone! I can't remember all the details perfectly...

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**New Friends and New Plans**

"_Whoa_."

"You said it."

"That's _amazing_, that is."

"Oh, I want to take it apart."

"Come off it. You sound like Dad with his spark plugs."

"Merlin forbid such a thing."

The sound of these two similar, yet unfamiliar voices pulled Ed out of his deep slumber. His eyelids fluttered, protesting against the bright morning sunlight.

"Hey, I think he's coming to!"

"Excellent!"

When Ed could finally focus his eyes properly, he saw two redheaded young men leaning over him. "Aaah!" In an instant, he sat up and scrambled away from the strangers.

"Whoa, easy there, mate," said the redhead on the right.

"Yeah," the other added, "you've been out like a log for hours – best not to sit up too quickly."

They were right; Ed was now seeing black spots across his field of vision. He rubbed his eyes before looking back at the two gingers. "Who are you guys?"

"Ah, yes! Introductions. I'm Fred Weasley."

"And I'm George Weasley."

"We're identical," said the pair in union.

"You don't say," Ed muttered sarcastically.

George raised an eyebrow. "Now, the real question is, kid, who are you?"

"'_Kid_?'" growled Ed. "I'm fifteen."

The twins' eyes widened. "Oh."

"There's nothing wrong with looking younger than you are," burst out Fred, trying to cover up for his brother's blunder. "In fact, most people would love being like that."

"Especially _here_," George said, nudging his fellow Weasley meaningfully, "in '_Grim-Old_' Place."

Fred cracked a grin. "Right you are, Georgie! There are plenty of _grim_, _old_ people lurking around the area."

"And they're always bringing such _grim_ news; it's getting quite _old_."

"Even the house itself is _grim_ and _old_," encouraged the other twin.

Ed was unimpressed. "How long are you two going to run with this 'grim-old' joke?"

The redheads pondered that for a moment, then they seemed to come to the same conclusion simultaneously. "Until we're _grim_ and _old_ ourselves!"

For some reason, that last one shattered Ed's deadpan countenance. Before he knew it, he was laughing, laughing much harder than he had in a long time. The twins looked at each other and shrugged, as if to say, "Was it really _that_ funny?"

"I'm Edward Elric," the small blonde said at last, subduing his mirth.

"Elric?" mused Fred. "_Elric_… it's not ringing a bell."

"Yeah, there's no one in the Order with that name," George confirmed.

Ed then realized the only way he could connect the dots for the Weasley twins, however unpleasant it may be. "I'm Hohenheim's son."

Comprehension dawned on their faces. "Oh!"

"That makes sense," said Fred, dropping his fist into the palm of his other hand. "You've got the same hair and eyes, maybe a bit in the nose, too."

Not at all eager to hear a comparison between his face and his father's, Ed examined his surroundings. It was a small bedroom, but at least it was cleaner than the drawing room he had seen last night. He was sitting on a thin cot, next to the head of which sat his boots, coat, jacket, and gloves. The clothes had been folded neatly, almost obsessively. Ed chuckled to himself; he could recognize Al's handiwork in a heartbeat. "That little brother of mine…" he thought aloud.

"What's that?" George leapt upon the new topic like a cat on a mouse. "You've got a brother? Who? Maybe we saw him when we popped down to the kitchen earlier."

"Well, he's the big one in the armor."

To Ed's bewilderment, Fred winced. "That's rough, mate, having a younger sibling who's passed you by in size. We completely understand."

"Yeah," added George, "our younger brother, Ron, gained a few inches on us, and it went straight to his head."

"What's the younger generation coming to?" asked Fred dramatically. "Soon, there won't be any point in us older brothers leaving them such wonderful examples."

"At least sweet little sister Ginny is following in our noble footsteps of mischief-making," George offered.

"Oh, yes, George, noble indeed."

"Wait," Ed cut in, "you two cause trouble… as a _habit_?"

The twins grinned at him. "It's our calling in life."

"But enough about us," Fred insisted, "there's something we're just dying to know about you." Ed raised an eyebrow.

"What are these magnificent pieces of Muggle machinery?" asked George, a disturbingly Winry-like glimmer appearing in his eyes.

"It's called automail."

"Fascinating!" goggled Fred.

George exchanged a look with his twin before his next question. "Not to be rude or anything, but… how'd you end up with these automail limbs?"

Normally, in these situations, Ed delivered a made-up account of a surprise attack during the Ishvalan Rebellion, but he hesitated. Despite their joking demeanor, the Weasley twins gave Ed the unmistakable gut feeling that they could be relied upon, trusted. And so, he told them the truth.

* * *

"Whoa," said Fred once Ed had finished.

"That's possibly the worst thing I've ever heard of happening to anyone," agreed George.

Fred turned to his double. "Are you thinking what I am, George?"

"Most definitely, Fred."

They flashed Ed a pair of particularly bright grins. "We sense you're a kindred spirit, Ed."

"You trusted us with a special secret," declared Fred, "now, we want to let you in on _our_ little secret."

"We'd like you to become our partner in not-quite-crime."

"Say what?" Ed replied blandly, not quite comprehending.

"In these dark times," explained Fred, "it's more important than ever that we find ways to give people a good laugh."

"Not to mention making those idiots who won't believe You-Know-Who is back look like the utter buffoons they are," inserted George.

"I dunno…"

"Oh, come on," Fred pleaded, "I can see the spark of mischievous curiosity in your eyes. You _know_ you _want_ to."

"But-"

"Isn't there someone you've just _longed_ to prank for ages?" wondered George.

Ed thought about that, and a mental list began compiling itself, at the top of which sat Colonel Mustang. Ed smirked at that idea, adding fuel to the twins' fire of interest.

"See?" they pushed, each one extending a hand toward him. "You won't regret it; we promise."

Ed looked at their long-fingered hands of friendship for a moment, then shrugged and shook them. "Why not?"

"Excellent," they cried in unison.

Suddenly, a rough knock on the door drew the attention of all three boys. "Oi! Mum's got breakfast ready!"

"All right, Ron," the pair called back.

"C'mon, Ed," George said cheerily, "off we go."

"Normally, we'd Apparate downstairs," clarified Fred, "but there's no way we'd leave our brand-new partner to walk down there by himself on his first day at number twelve."

"Oh, one last thing," George recalled. "We'd appreciate it if you didn't tell our mum about you being in cahoots with us."

"She doesn't approve of our calling, you see," expounded Fred.

"Sure, I won't tell."

"Good chap!" they grinned, each one patting one of his shoulders.

Ed pulled on his boots, and picked up his jacket and gloves to do the same, but Fred asked, "Do you really need to hide those limbs around us?"

"Yeah," protested George, "I'm sure the whole Order knows by now – there'd be little point."

"Fine," Ed shrugged, setting the clothes back in their folded pile. As the three boys left the bedroom and started down the stairs, Ed asked, "What's your mother like?"

"You'll see in a minute," they assured him.

* * *

The first thing Ed learned about Mrs. Weasley was that she had overexcited, irrepressible maternal instincts. Someone must indeed have told her the whole tragic tale of the Elric Brothers, because the moment Ed walked into the kitchen, she attacked him with a crushing hug, half-sobbing, "Oh, you poor boy!" The twins stifled laughs as they watched this touching display of motherly affection. Eventually, Alphonse had to come to his brother's rescue.

"Uh, Mrs. Weasley, I think you're choking him."

She then had to settle for cupping Ed's face in her warm, weathered hands. She smiled at him with all the love and heartache of a mother, and Ed felt his stomach do a little backflip.

"Come and sit down, dear," she said, motioning to the long table in the middle of the room. "You look famished."

As soon as Ed had taken his seat, the twins grabbed spots on either side of him.

"We can point people out for you, if you like," offered Fred.

Ed nodded, his mouth now full of scrambled egg – the second thing about Mrs. Weasley was that she was an amazing cook.

"All right," George muttered while glancing around. "There's Remus Lupin – he's a werewolf."

"The guy talking with him is Sirius Black – the two of them have been friends for ages. It's Sirius's family that owned this _grim, old_ place."

"Not _that_ again," Ed chuckled, "I think I did see both of them last night."

"I don't doubt it," noted Fred. "They often stay up into the early hours of the morning talking with your dad."

Ed winced; it was odd hearing someone other than Al call Hohenheim that. "Is _he_ still here?"

"Who?" asked the twins.

"Hohenheim."

"Try looking across the table, silly," advised Fred.

Ed immediately did so, and there was his father, eating his breakfast and looking quite at peace with the world.

"Good morning, Edward," he said placidly.

"I think my appetite just nose-dived," the young blonde muttered sourly. This insult turned out to be a flat-out lie as Ed soon returned to shoveling food into his mouth.

"And a good morning to _you_, Mr. Ho," George greeted happily.

"'Mr. Ho?'" Ed questioned, gulping down his mouthful of bacon.

"It takes too long to call him Hohenheim _every_ time," explained Fred.

"Honestly," commented George, "who even came up with a name like Hohenheim?"

"Who indeed?" Ed's father laughed good-naturedly, giving Alphonse a meaningful glance. The younger Elric immediately understood. He bent down behind Ed's chair and whispered, "You, Dad, and I need to talk after breakfast."

"I thought we did that number last night," Ed grumbled, biting into a slice of buttered toast.

"After you stormed out, Dad told me everything – the whole story. You need to hear it, too."

"Sure, whatever," Ed agreed without thinking. After several days of enduring hospital food, he was going to enjoy this breakfast feast as if it was his last meal.

* * *

Needless to say, Edward didn't react nearly as well to Hohenheim's lengthy explanation as Alphonse had. He shook his head, as if doing so would clear the doubt from his mind.

"Why couldn't you have told us this before?" he demanded.

"You were far too young to understand," said Hohenheim.

"Still, you could have – I dunno – left a _letter_ or something for us to read once we _were_ old enough. Would that have been _so_ hard?"

Hohenheim looked as though he were trying to swallow a brick. Al immediately jumped to his father's defense.

"Ed, you said you'd try to be nicer to Dad."

"This _is_ me trying," retorted Ed.

"Then try _harder_."

"It's all right, Alphonse," Hohenheim assured him. "We've already made a notable improvement since last night. Edward is _talking_ to me instead of _yelling_ at me."

"An improvement that can quickly reverse itself," Ed snapped.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley appeared in the open doorway. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

"No," answered Hohenheim, "not at all, Molly. We… just finished."

"Well, then, there's something I wanted to check with you, Van."

_Van?_ Ed hadn't heard anyone call his father by his first name, other than his mother in a few fuzzy, early-childhood memories. To hear it used so casually was rather disturbing.

"Ed… you do believe Dad, don't you?" The young alchemist stirred from his reverie at the sound of Al's voice.

"Yeah, I mean… what else can I do? It's the only way I can make sense of all this craziness… but that doesn't make up for the fact that he left us without so much as a note."

"Brother, that's an exaggeration, and you know it."

Ed was about to reply to this when he heard Hohenheim say, "I'm sure they'd be glad to help."

"Oh, wonderful," Mrs. Weasley beamed at the Elric Brothers.

"Wait, what?" Ed asked in confusion.

"Number twelve used to belong to Dark Wizards," explained Hohenheim, "and they left it in a filthy state. If the Order is to use this building to its fullest, we need to clean and decontaminate the entire house."

"And… did you just volunteer the two of us for that job?"

"Everyone has to do their part. You want to be fed, don't you?"

_Blackmail_? Edward had not expected such a dirty move from Hohenheim, but he took it in his stride. "Well, when good food is at stake, I'll do just about _anything_."

"You'll be starting off on the second floor in the library," said Mrs. Weasley, "so-"

"There's a _library_?" exclaimed Ed, suddenly excited. "What are we waiting for? Let's go, Al!"

"Slow down, Brother," Al protested as Ed bolted for the door. Just before the small blonde reached the hallway, however, he was abruptly yanked back by the collar of his shirt. _What the hell?_ he thought, _Who-_

"Try to curb your enthusiasm," Hohenheim advised. "If you make too much noise in the hall, Mrs. Black's portrait will start screaming."

"Okay, fine. Now, get off me."

Once Ed freed himself from his father's grip, he and Al headed upstairs to the second landing. Ed would have started opening all the doors in his search for the library were it not for Fred poking his head out into the passage and calling, "Oi, Ed! In here."

Inside the library along with Fred were George, their two younger siblings, Ron and Ginny, and a girl with bushy brown hair and an intelligent gleam in her brown eyes. Ed hadn't seen her at breakfast, and he opened his mouth to ask who she was when George stepped in to answer his unspoken question.

"Ed, this is Hermione Granger. She goes to school with the rest of us."

"Hello," Hermione said pleasantly. "I got to meet Alphonse this morning – there are too few early risers in this place."

"Hermione let me play with her cat, Crookshanks," added Al. "He's _adorable_."

All four Weasleys made identical faces of disbelief, giving Ed the impression that most people didn't consider Crookshanks "_adorable_" in the least.

"Enough chit-chat," chided Fred, shaking a finger at the others. "If we don't get to work soon, Mum'll have our hides."

"Oh, _blimey_," Ron groaned, "just _look_ at all the dust. And we can't even use magic."

Ed looked around at the bookshelves coated with grime, the corners filled with cobwebs, and the floor littered with generations of dust bunnies. "No problem."

"Say what?" scoffed Ginny, noting Ed's cocky smirk.

Al sighed. "Brother, you're going to show off, aren't you?"

"You mean he's gonna do some alchemy?" Fred nearly squealed.

"I want to see!" agreed George, just as excited as his twin.

"Then stand back and watch the show," Ed grinned, clapping his hands together and pressing them against a particularly grubby wall. Within seconds, the grime, cobwebs, and dust bunnies had vanished from their original positions and reappeared in a neat dirt pile, ready to be swept.

"Whoa," breathed Ron, his mouth agape in awe.

"That was nothing," Ed assured him, waving a hand dismissively. He could see Al shaking his head skeptically – the younger Elric had never really approved of Ed's bigheaded displays of alchemical power.

"How is it done?" asked Hermione, staring at the small mound of collected filth.

"Well, it's complicated," Ed began before Ginny cut in.

"However complicated it may be, Hermione can handle it. She's the smartest student in all of Hogwarts."

Assuming Hogwarts was the name of their school, Ed continued, "Okay, then. A transmutation takes several steps. First: comprehension – understanding what materials you're going to transmute, then deconstruction – breaking the current materials down, and reconstruction – reassembling the particles of the materials as something else. The facility for alchemy comes from something called tect-"

"Tectonic energy," Hermione finished. "I'm a Muggle-born, Edward; I learned all about the physical sciences."

"Oh." Ed cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway, most alchemists have to use transmutation circles to harness the tectonic energy to perform alchemy. I'm a freak exception with the hand-clapping thing, but there are complex transmutations that even I would have to use a circle for."

"Here," Al offered, drawing a circle with some of the dust from the pile, "the circle denotes the flow of power, and the matrix overlaying it specifies how the power will be used. For instance, this array will transmute the many particles of dirt into one solid form."

"Oh, I see," said Hermione, kneeling next to Al and examining the transmutation circle.

Ed leaned over her and asked, "You wanna try it?"

"What? Me? Now?"

"Sure. Why not? Give it a shot."

"Wait," George inserted, "are you saying that _anyone_ can learn how to use alchemy?"

"I didn't say _that_," corrected Ed. "It requires a certain mental aptitude. You have to think constantly about what you're transmuting and how it all works, and-"

"Well," said Fred, "that for sure excludes _one_ of us." He gave Ron a meaningful look.

"What's your point exactly?" the younger Weasley asked.

"Exactly that," Fred retorted ambiguously. Hermione took a deep breath as though she were about to jump from a high diving board.

"Relax," counseled Al, patting her shoulder. "Just put your hands on the circle and think through the steps."

"Yeah," Ed added, "it's not like it'll hurt or anything."

Despite their reassurances, Hermione still seemed very nervous as she placed her palms against the array. Her features scrunched up in concentration. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, a tiny spark of electricity crackled to life, followed by another larger flicker. As soon as Hermione realized what was happening, however, she squeaked in surprise and pulled her hands away. She would have fallen backwards onto the floor if Ed hadn't been standing behind her.

"Easy now," he said as he caught her. "That was... amazing, especially for a first try."

Al pointed at the pile of dirt, "Look, some of it started to solidify together."

"That was… kind of fun," Hermione decided.

"I know, right?" Ed agreed. "It's almost addictive."

The four Weasleys congratulated their friend on her brilliant attempt, but this happy moment was interrupted by the arrival of Mrs. Weasley.

"Are you all finished in here?" she asked cheerily. Upon seeing the pile of dirt, she flicked her wand at it, disintegrating every last speck. "Excellent. On to the next room."

"This is going to be a long day," George muttered morosely.

* * *

Despite George's pessimistic statement, the day passed quickly, as did the two weeks that followed. Thanks to excellent food, adequate work, and peaceful sleep, Ed was starting to feel a little… at home in number twelve. His knowledge of the Wizarding World increased exponentially each day, as did his scholarly thirst to learn more. True, he hadn't gotten accustomed to all the magical oddities of the old house – like the occasional shrieks of Mrs. Black's portrait – but he wholeheartedly enjoyed the company (not to mention the cooking). The Weasleys treated Al and him like family, a blessing Ed knew his little brother truly appreciated. Fred and George had been right; their friendship with Ed had rekindled in him a mischievous desire to break the rules. Hermione, frustrated that her initial success with alchemy had turned out to be beginner's luck, continued asking about transmutations, the flow of power, and all the rest, her many questions keeping Ed on his toes.

Even certain members of the Order had connected with the young alchemist. Moody (whom most people referred to as "Mad-Eye") popped in a few times on Order business, bringing his young associate, Nymphadora Tonks, with him. Tonks piqued Ed's scientific interest, usually in the form of thoughts like: _How the hell can she just alter her shape like that? Gaagh! This is driving me nuts!_ Remus Lupin defied Ed's stereotypical idea of a werewolf; only through first-hand accounts could Ed ever believe that such a caring, sensitive man transformed into a dangerous monster once a month. Sirius Black formed a link with Al by showing him how to care for the hippogriff Buckbeak who lived in the attic, and even Ed found the guy fun to be around, like he was a long-lost uncle or something.

And then, of course, there was the matter of Hohenheim. Whenever Ed encountered his father, he tried to be civil to him, at least for Al's sake. As determined as he was to continue hating his reclusive parent, Ed couldn't help but notice that Hohenheim started smiling more, that his efforts – however reluctant – weren't being wasted.

On the afternoon that marked a fortnight in Ed's stay at Grimmauld Place, Ed was descending the stairs and looking forward to a hot meal after a day of strenuous cleaning. He recalled that the Order was currently having a meeting in the kitchen, so dinner would probably be a while. His thoughts were pulled back to the present, however, by the sound of Hohenheim's voice.

"Edward. Would you come in here, please? It's important."

Shrugging compliantly, Ed trudged into one of the side rooms along the main passage. Inside, two men sat with Hohenheim around a small, square table, a fourth chair unoccupied on the empty side.

"I think you've met Kingsley Shacklebolt," said Hohenheim.

"Hey," Ed nodded nonchalantly.

"And this," his father continued, "is Albus Dumbledore."

The old man Hohenheim had just introduced smiled at the young alchemist with a playful twinkle in his blue eyes, which were partially hidden behind half-moon spectacles. Ed gaped, then gulped. Smile or no smile, Ed had a hunch in his gut that this man was _not_ to be meddled with.

"You mean the Dumbledore that started the Order? The Dumbledore that everyone makes such a big deal about?"

"Oh, is that what they do when I'm not around?" asked Dumbledore, winking at Ed. Feeling his tension evaporate, the small blonde moved a little closer to the table.

"You'd better go ahead and sit down," said Kingsley. "This might take a while."

Edward did so, shifting his gaze back and forth between the two wizards. _What have they come to tell me that's so important?_

"I'll get right to the matter at hand," Kingsley proceeded. "A contact of mine in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement told me of a discovery at the Ministry that they can only call 'an anomaly.'"

"We, however, know exactly what has happened," Dumbledore inserted. "It would seem that, as soon as you left the protection of the Fidelius Charm and entered the Wizarding World, the Trace detected you and activated."

"The Trace?" asked Ed, not at all liking the sound of that.

"It's a spell that keeps record of all underage witches and wizards," explained Hohenheim.

"But I'm not a wizard; I'm an alchemist!"

"While you have not received any magical training," said Kingsley, "your father is a wizard, and wizarding power is almost always passed down through bloodlines. It is now clear that you have the _potential_ to be a wizard."

"But I don't even want to be a-"

"Edward, please just hear us out," entreated Hohenheim.

"What about Al?" Ed demanded. "Has this Trace thing locked onto him, too?"

"No," Kingsley assured him. "If the Trace was going to find him, it would have done so already. It would seem his lack of a physical body has protected him from it."

Ed breathed a sigh of relief. Though he still didn't understand why this Trace business was such a big deal, he let the adults continue.

"The problem is this," said Dumbledore, "The Trace has never failed in the past, so the Ministry is most eager to discover why a fifteen-year-old has suddenly developed magical abilities, or rather, why a fifteen-year-old's magical abilities were somehow shielded from them before this time."

"Even though our headquarters cannot be plotted on any map, this incident has drawn unnecessary attention to this place," said Kingsley. "What's more, when September comes, and all the other underage witches and wizards go to school, your presence _here_ may put the Order at risk of being investigated by the Ministry."

"They will detect any magic that is used around you, and therefore wonder why on earth you aren't in school," Dumbledore elaborated.

"Okay," Ed replied, mentally digesting this dilemma, "so… as soon as it's September, I'll just be on my way back to Amestris. No problem."

"That would be most unwise," Dumbledore countered. "There is, however, another option. You see, Edward, besides being the founder of the Order, I am also the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Ed's eyes widened. Before he knew what he was doing, he stood and said very clearly, "No."

All three men raised their eyebrows. "No?" Dumbledore asked, encouraging Ed to better explain himself.

"I know where this is going. You're going to try and get me to go to this wizard school, aren't you?"

"That was indeed my line of reasoning," admitted Dumbledore.

"Well, I'm not doing it. I don't need or want to learn magic; I just want to get my brother's body back to the way it was. I made him a promise, and I won't let _anything_ get in the way of that."

"Edward," Hohenheim began, but Ed interrupted him quickly.

"If this is about keeping the Order safe, which I completely understand, then just let me go home. If Al's safe here, he'll stay, and I'll go alone."

"Edward, that is _madness_," Hohenheim tried again. "The Homunculi-"

"I'm not scared of them! You can _all_ stay here and fight that Voldy-guy, and I'll take care of all those Homunculi bastards. It's simple, and everyone's happy-"

"Not everyone," retorted Hohenheim, cutting him off. "You'd be putting yourself in immense danger. You could be killed-"

"So? It's not like it's any of _your_ business what I do. I've gotten along fine without a father for ten years; I don't need one holding me back now – so quit pretending to be-"

"There's no pretending involved!" said Hohenheim, getting to his feet and sternly raising his voice. "I _am_ your father!"

As shocked as Ed was to hear his old man yell, he stood against it defiantly. "You can't just step in after a decade and tell me what to do! You can't just ship me off to some wizard school! If keeping the Order safe is so important to you, then-"

"You're not listening to me, Edward! Nothing is more important to me than keeping _you_ and Alphonse safe! Right now, this is the best way that I can!"

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST LET ME LEAVE?"

"BECAUSE I WON'T LOSE YOU!"

Ed's retort died in his throat.

"I…" his father choked, "I _can't_ lose you, too…"

Ed suddenly remembered what the boggart had become for Hohenheim, his worst fear: watching the people he loved die around him, leaving him alone. The boy sank back into his chair, all the fight drained out of him.

"…fine… Fine. I'll do it. I'll go."

Having maintained a polite silence during the father-son argument, Dumbledore now spoke, "Leave everything to me. I will make sure that Edward is sent a letter along with the other students and see him in September."

"I think we're done here," concluded Kingsley. "I should be getting back to my post."

Kingsley quickly excused himself, and Dumbledore soon followed suit. As he passed Ed's chair, the old man met his gaze and tilted his head ever-so-slightly in Hohenheim's direction. It was as if the sagely wizard was speaking directly into Ed's mind: _"Don't leave things like this with your father, my boy. To have a father is a privilege; don't throw that gift away."_

Once the two alchemists were alone, Hohenheim sighed with the heaviness of a hundred years. At length, he found the strength to speak. "I didn't mean to shout so much. I'm sorry, Edward… your mother would never have approved of me raising my voice with you like that."

"It's fine," the boy replied, still avoiding his father's eyes. "In fact… I was just a little bit… _impressed_. You finally showed some backbone, old man."

Hohenheim's face lit up with what Ed could only describe as _hope_. It cut him like a knife, right through to his core. The wall of ice in his heart was cracking, melting under that fatherly gaze. Maybe… just _maybe_…

"Van!" Lupin appeared in the doorway, his features filled with anxiety.

The moment was over; Hohenheim's attention was now completely on Lupin. "What's wrong, Remus? What's happened?"

"Mundungus Fletcher left his shift early, and not long after he ducked out-"

"Are you saying Harry Potter has been attacked?"

Lupin nodded. Hohenheim was on his feet in an instant, following his friend into the hall and asking, "What can I do to help?" And, just like that, he was gone. It was as if Ed hadn't even existed. Not knowing what else to do, the young alchemist laid his arms on the table and dropped his head between them. He needed to think, to sort out the torrent of emotion that was churning inside of him. He was angry with Hohenheim – _that_ he knew.

_But why?_ A part of him asked. _Why are you angry? Because he's sending you to a wizard school, or because he left just now without giving you a second thought?_

_Shut up,_ Ed snapped at himself. _It's because he abandoned Mom, Al, and me; that's all._

_You can keep telling yourself that_, his mind retorted. _Tell yourself a lie for long enough, and you'll accept it as truth_.

_It's not a lie! I hate him_.

_No… you don't_.

A gnawing emptiness was clenching a cold hand around his heart. _You don't know anything about me!_

_On the contrary, I know everything about you. I _am_ you, after all_.

_Just shut up!_ Ed thudded his head against the wooden surface of the tabletop, trying to block out the voice he didn't want to hear. However, all this accomplished was a painful aching in his forehead. Rubbing the point of injury and cursing under his breath, Ed sat up. As he did so, a new thought surfaced to the forefront of his mind. It began to nag him so strongly that he said it aloud.

"Now who the hell is Harry Potter?"

* * *

A/N: Lots of _Harry Potter_ characters now! Fred and George are particularly fun!

I love writing Hohenheim's and Ed's conversations and developing their awkward love-hate relationship. Considering Ed's reaction at the end of _Brotherhood_ [**SPOILER**] where Hohenheim suggests using his own life to bring Al back from the Portal and Ed tears up, calling Hohenheim "you rotten father!" (One of my favorite scenes) [**END OF SPOILER**], I think – somewhere **VERY** deep in his heart, he knows that he doesn't really hate Hohenheim. He wants what any son wants of his father: identity, recognition, and security. I could go on, but you get the idea…

Yes, Hermione could _definitely_ wrap her head around alchemy. Other than Hohenheim to Ed and Al, there are no biological patterns of alchemy being passed down (Riza Hawkeye's father was an alchemist, but she isn't into it at all). Thus, it's perfectly reasonable for someone in the Wizarding World to comprehend and learn alchemy. I'm sure that fact will come in handy later on in the story…

And, yes, Ed will go to Hogwarts. Why? Because the plot demands it! I know almost every single FMA/HP crossover sends Ed to Hogwarts, but I'm doing everything I can to make the scenario believable and plausible (not just "because I can").

Harry **is** in the next chapter, I promise. I've got some goodies in store for his arrival.


	5. Boy Who Lived and Fullmetal Alchemist

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Finally, Harry arrives on the scene! I had to remember that Harry hasn't turned fifteen at the beginning of this chapter, since his birthday is July 31. Ed's is... well I thought it was February 3rd, but that's only according to the 2003 show. A more accurate, obsessive bio I found guesstimates that his birthday is September 15... I can make excellent use of that...

Some lines in this chapter are "copied" word-for-word from _Order of the Phoenix_. They, naturally, **DON'T** belong to me, rather to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**The Boy Who Lived and the Fullmetal Alchemist**

Harry Potter turned out to be a scrawny, bespectacled boy of fourteen with a rat's nest of jet-black hair, kind green eyes, and a lightning-bolt-shaped scar near the middle of his forehead. He had arrived later that evening, accompanied by Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley, and several other members of the Order. Despite Ed's previous curiosity, he hurried upstairs to the bedroom he shared with Fred and George. With all the mess going through his head at the moment, he thought it best to get out of the way and let the wizards talk.

"What's up with you?" asked Fred, noting Ed's crestfallen expression.

"Nothing," the young alchemist mumbled, flopping onto his cot facedown and wishing he could just transmute himself into a pillow so no one would pay him any more mind. "Some guy called Harry Potter is here."

"Harry's here?" Both twins jumped to their feet. "When?"

"Just now," said Ed unfeelingly.

With a sudden _CRACK_, Fred and George disapparated downstairs, leaving Ed alone with his confused thoughts.

* * *

After a few minutes, the twins returned. Finding Ed in exactly the same position as before, their beaming faces faltered.

"Ed?" George asked, leaning over the small blonde. "Are you feeling sick or something?"

Edward muttered something through the muffling mattress that sounded like "miserable."

"What's the problem? You can tell us."

With coaxing, Ed sat up and met their concerned looks. "Have you got a temperature?" inquired Fred, pressing a hand to Ed's forehead. The small blonde brushed him off, shaking his head. Ed knew he'd have to tell them sooner or later, but he didn't yet have the heart to say it aloud: that, in little more than a month, he would be separated from Alphonse. That awful reality had sunk in during Fred and George's brief absence, leaving Edward in a state of near-depression.

"Well," said Fred, attempting to draw Ed into conversation, "we tried to tell Harry the short version about you, but Mum shut us up before we could get any farther than mentioning your name and the fact that you were here."

Unfortunately, the only words that reached Ed in his disconnected condition were "short… fact… you…" Out of involuntary habit, Ed raised his left hand and threw a punch at Fred, grazing him on the upper arm.

"_Ow! _What was _that_ for?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK_?"_ Ed snapped, suddenly rediscovering his voice.

"I didn't! I just said we only got to tell Harry a little about you-"

Ed moved to punch Fred again, but George grabbed him under the shoulders, holding him back. "Come on, mate, get a grip!"

"I'M NOT LITTLE! ALL YOU WIZARDS ARE JUST FREAKISH GIANTS IS ALL! SO, WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PUNY SPECK OF DIRT?"

"Ed, calm down," said George, tightening his grip around Ed's shoulders. "Has something come loose in your head?"

It took a minute for Ed to return to his senses. "S… sorry. I… lost control of myself."

"_I'll_ say," emphasized Fred, rubbing his arm. "Why the hell did you freak out on us like that?"

"Sorry," Ed repeated. "I have this instinct to lash out whenever someone says or even _implies_ that I'm… you know…"

"Short?" George supplied.

A vein stood out on Ed's neck, but he restrained himself this time. "Yeah… that…"

"Well then, we'll make sure to watch what we say about that topic."

Almost immediately after George released Ed from his hold, the sound of raised voices – or rather one voice – came from the bedroom below where Ron slept.

"Uh-oh. Sounds like Harry's started yelling."

"Indeed it does, Fred. Let's go down and see what his beef is."

"Oi, Ed. Coming?"

Ed made a face of protest. "Do I have to?"

"Why wouldn't you want to?" asked Fred, trying to read Ed's sullen expression. "Hang on… you're not… I dunno… jealous or something? Are you thinking that, just because Harry's here now, he's going to steal all of our attention?"

"What? No! I…" Ed chose his words carefully, not wanting to reveal too much at this point, "I had a fight with Hohenheim; that's all."

The twins looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Look, Ed," suggested George, "come down and meet Harry. I think you'll get along splendidly."

The young alchemist huffed in frustration before yielding. "Okay."

"Great. See you in a few seconds." The pair vanished with a loud _CRACK_. With nothing else to do, Ed descended the one flight of stairs to Ron's bedroom and knocked.

"Ah," he could hear Fred say on the other side, "that'll be Ed now."

"Come on in, Ed!" George called.

"Who's this 'Ed' you keep mentioning? Oh, wait, let me guess: he's some new recruit for the Order."

_That must be Harry Potter_, Ed thought as he clasped the doorknob. _Sounds kind of whiny to me…_

"No, Harry." It was Hermione's voice. "Ed's father is in the Order, but Ed isn't. He's here under the _protection_ of the Order."

"Has _he_ gotten to listen in on the meetings?"

Ed hesitated before opening the door, curious to hear where this conversation was leading.

"I… I don't know."

"I wouldn't put it past Hohenheim to let his genius son in on the important stuff," Ron mused aloud.

"Ron!" Hermione chided. "You're not helping!"

"SEE? SEE? EVERYONE KNOWS EXCEPT ME!"

"Harry, _please_…"

At that point, Ed slipped inside the room, giving an acknowledging nod to the victims of Harry's shouts. Noticing their attention being drawn to the door, Harry turned to look at Edward for the first time. Rather than placating him, however, the scar-marked boy seemed to find new ammunition for his complaints.

"Even the new guy knows more about what's going than me, and he's a shrimp who only just got involved!"

Ed crushed the doorknob in his automail grip. He glared at Harry over his shoulder and growled, "'_Shrimp_?'"

"Oh, no," Fred moaned.

"Now you've done it, Harry," George chided.

Only the twins' anticipation of Ed's reaction kept the short blonde from tearing Harry apart; as it was, they had to hold him back with all their strength.

"LEMME AT HIM! LEMME AT HIM!"

"Can't do that, mate, sorry."

"YOU!" Ed barked, pointing an accusatory finger at Harry, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO SMALL THAT THE FISHERMEN OVERLOOK HIM BECAUSE HE HAS SO LITTLE MEAT ON HIM THAT HE WOULDN'T BE WORTH EATING?"

Ron raised his hands defensively, stepping in front of a stunned Harry. "Whoa now, Ed, Harry didn't say anything like… whatever you just said."

"It was a stupid comment, yes," Hermione added, "but Harry's not thinking straight."

"Sorry about this, Harry," Fred apologized. "Ed's not normally like this, but something happened this afternoon, and it's left him rather _sensitive_."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SENSITIVE? I'M JUST PISSED BECAUSE I HAVE TO GO TO HOGWARTS!"

Silence fell on the room like a heavy blanket. Even Harry's anger slid off of his face. Ed stopped struggling against Fred and George, a sickening feeling building in his stomach. He had actually said it; any attempt to ignore the subject now would be futile.

"…I don't get it," Ron puzzled at last. "Why would that make you upset?"

"Because!" Ed snapped. "Despite whatever crap Kingsley and Dumbledore said is going on with the Trace and the Ministry and who knows what else, I don't have a single magical bone in my body!"

"Dumbledore?" said Harry, picking up on the name. "_You've_ seen Dumbledore? Where? When?"

"He left here just before you arrived," Hermione explained reluctantly.

"Why would he do that?" Harry asked indignantly, his temper flaring again. "Would it have been so troublesome for him to stay long enough to see me? It's like he's purposefully avoiding me!"

"Harry," said Hermione soothingly, "I'm sure Dumbledore has a good reason for whatever he's doing."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "You've just gotta _trust_ him, mate."

"It's hard to trust a man who hasn't given you any important information for a month, who's left you with Muggles that hate you while Voldemort runs around free."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione began arguing again in earnest, leaving the twins to handle Ed.

"Come on, Ed. Don't be like _that_."

"Yeah. Hogwarts is a _great_ place."

But their efforts were hitting a brick wall. Ed didn't want to hear anything positive about the school he was quickly associating with prison. This conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Ginny.

"You won't be able to use any Extendable Ears tonight," she warned the twins. "Mum's put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen.

"Tonks told me how to find out. You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap." Ginny paused as she took in the general atmosphere of the room. "Why are you all so gloomy?"

"Well, Harry feels cheated because he hasn't been in on the loop," Fred explained, "and Ed's miserable because he's being forced to attend Hogwarts against his will."

"Oh, I knew _that_."

"What? Which?"

"Ed going to Hogwarts."

"How'd you find out?" George demanded.

"I bumped into Alphonse on the way up. He told me."

Ed felt nauseous. "Wait, Al knows about this? How'd _he_ find out?"

"He said he'd just gotten the news from Hohenheim, and that he was looking for you to talk about it."

"Oh…" he left it there. There was no need for him to admit his hesitation aloud. _I can't talk to Al about this yet; it'd be too painful_.

"Shame about the Extendable Ears," Fred sighed. "I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," said George, closing the door Ginny had left ajar and plopping onto one of the beds, followed quickly by his twin and sister. "Giving a report. Top secret."

"Git," said Fred idly.

"He's on our side now," said Hermione reprovingly.

Ron snorted. "Doesn't stop him from being a git. The way he looks at us when he sees us…"

Ed said nothing as the six of them continued their conversation about goings-on in the Order, mentioning people Ed had no knowledge of: Bill, Fleur Delacour, Percy, and Fudge. Eventually, Mrs. Weasley came to the bedroom door and announced that the meeting was over and dinner was ready.

"And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?" she asked.

"Crookshanks," said Ginny unblushingly. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please…"

Ginny grinned mischievously at her friends before following her mother's instructions.

"We've raised her well," said George proudly.

"Come on, Ed," Fred urged, offering a hand to the small blonde who had been sitting in the far corner so as not to be noticed. "You'll feel better after a good meal."

Accepting Fred's help, Ed stood and did his best to smile. "Okay."

As Harry passed Ed to reach the stairs, the young alchemist stopped him.

"Uh, Harry? Listen… sorry… about before."

"_I'm_ the one who should apologize. I don't normally insult people I've only just met."

"Meh, I'm used to it," Ed shrugged, "and I get over it quickly. What do you say… friends?"

"Definitely," agreed Harry, shaking Ed's outstretched hand. Then, his eyes went wide as dinner plates and his eyebrows retreated beneath his tangle of black hair. Ed was about to ask what the deal was when he noticed where Harry's gaze was riveted, and everything made sense. Because of the colder climate of England – even in the heat of summer – Ed had been wearing long-sleeved shirts for a change. This, of course, also meant that his automail was almost completely concealed. Only when Harry had clasped Ed's right hand had he realized that it was made of metal. The sight seemed to bring an unpleasant memory to Harry's mind from what Ed could read of his expression.

"Yeah," said Ed almost apologetically, trying to make light of Harry's shock, "I have an automail arm and leg… but, hey, this is nothing. My brother is a suit of armor."

Looking completely lost, Harry let Ed explain in more detail as they walked downstairs. A good deal of the Order stayed for dinner that night, making the kitchen feel rather cramped. Mrs. Weasley's cooking was delectable, as usual, but tonight's conversation was _particularly_ captivating. Harry finally got some answers to his questions about Voldemort's movements, and Ed filled in many of his own remaining blanks about the state of the Wizarding World just by listening. The young alchemist felt quite proud of himself for becoming so well informed of the situation as he helped himself to plentiful seconds. Only when Sirius mentioned the possibility that Voldemort was searching for a weapon, "something he didn't have last time," did Mrs. Weasley insist, "That's enough!" Lupin backed her position, ending the discussion.

As Mrs. Weasley ushered the children back upstairs, Ed felt a tug on his left sleeve.

"Brother?"

"Al…" Suddenly, all of Ed's apprehension about speaking with his little brother came rushing back.

"I decided to wait until after dinner to talk to you; it was so crowded in there."

Ed nodded distractedly, avoiding eye contact. "So… um… Hohenheim… told you…"

"Yes."

"All of it?"

"_All_ of it."

Ed exhaled heavily. "Great… so…"

"I can tell you're not exactly thrilled."

"Well, _there's_ a big surprise," Ed retorted sarcastically. "Why the hell would I be excited about going off to a school of hocus-pocus and leaving you alone?"

"I won't be _alone_. There's Dad and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the Order. And tell me this, Ed, did you ever consider the possibility that magic could help us get our bodies back?"

This question caught the small blonde off-guard. He stared at Alphonse with his mouth hanging open.

"I'll take that as a 'no.' Honestly… for being the youngest State Alchemist ever and a complete brainiac, you can be pretty _stupid_ sometimes."

"Hey! Watch who you're calling stupid!"

"Regardless, Ed, you should try and make the most of this opportunity."

Ed sighed, groaned, and chuckled in quick succession. "Ever the optimist, aren't you?"

Al laughed. "Well, if both of us were pessimistic realists, we'd never get anywhere."

Ed threw a playful punch at the suit of armor, letting the sound of impact echo throughout the hollow, metal body. The ringing of that emptiness twisted Ed's heart into knots.

"I'll get your body back, Al, magic or no magic. No matter _what_."

* * *

Just when Ed reached the third landing in front of his bedroom, he heard the "ahem" of a throat being cleared. Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw Hohenheim leaning against the passage wall, waiting for him.

"What now?" asked Ed directly.

Hohenheim rose to his full height and approached Ed with a remorseful expression. "Remus's arrival interrupted us earlier."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I know that, but… I'm going to anyway. I know you're upset, angry, all of that – and you have a right to be – but… I'm trying to make the best choice for your safety."

Ed shifted his weight nervously, suddenly intent on examining his boots.

"Edward, please look at me when I'm talking to you."

The small blonde raised his head grudgingly, fixing Hohenheim with his eyes of golden fire – eyes that were mirrored in his father's face.

"Yes… sir." His tone was measured and even, the same voice he would have used with Colonel Mustang or Fuhrer Bradley. Most people would have interpreted this as a sign of Ed's respect, but Hohenheim already knew him too well for that. He knew that this was just another of his son's defense mechanisms, a way of putting up with the people he disliked, yet couldn't rid himself of.

Hohenheim sighed with a mix of frustration and reluctance. Ed could see he was having an internal debate about whether he should speak further.

"Either spit it out, or I'm going to bed," he pushed impatiently.

"I… I wish I could help you understand how much I _care_ about you and Al, and how _sorry_ I am for everything that happened."

Ed wanted to break eye-contact, to look away from that earnest, sincere gaze, but he couldn't make himself do it. _Why are you doing this to me?_ he thought fiercely. _Why won't you just give up on me, old man?_

"…I know that." Ed heard his own voice before he could stop himself. "I just… I'm not ready. I need… _time_ to…"

He didn't need to finish; Hohenheim clearly understood. "Well, there is still a month before school term starts. Edward, will you give me a chance to start again – to be… your father?"

Ed gulped. His moment of truth had arrived. He thought about everything that had happened, all the explanations, choices, and results. Just when he felt like his head might explode, he let it go. He couldn't quite put a name to what "it" was, but it felt like the unclenching of a fist, a grip he hadn't realized was hurting him so badly until he released it. Breathing out slowly and purposefully, Ed closed his eyes… and nodded.

* * *

The dark-haired woman sighed, frowning at her brother. "I still can't believe you lost them."

"EXCUSE ME? Since when was it solely _my_ responsibility to watch them?"

Lust sat on the stripped hospital cot, cupping her chin in her gloved hand. She watched Gluttony totter around the dark room which had so recently been occupied by Edward Elric. "Forget it," she droned. "Arguing with you is _beneath_ me."

A vein stood out on Envy's forehead. "WHAT'D YOU SAY?"

"Stop this yelling, Envy," ordered a deep, rich voice. The Homunculi turned to see Fuhrer King Bradley entering the hospital room.

"What do _you_ want, Wrath?" Envy snapped bitterly.

"I've come to see how the search for the Elric Brothers is progressing."

"Well, you'll be disappointed," said Lust. "It's been weeks and still nothing. We decided to come back here, where they were last seen."

"I see," said Fuhrer Bradley, posing his next question to Gluttony. "Well, is there anything you can detect?"

"I smell the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother," sniffed the stubby Homunculus, "and someone else – someone I've never smelled before."

"That could be the wizard," Wrath deduced.

"Again with the wizard!" moaned Envy in disgust. "_Puh-lease_, there's no such thing as wizards and magic. It's impossible!"

Lust laughed softly. "If Greed were here, he'd say 'Nothing is impossible.' If Wrath says there was a wizard here, then I'm inclined to believe him. After all, that old man pointed what could very well have been a wand at us in the Fifth Laboratory."

"You're daydreamers, the lot of you," snorted Envy. "So, Gluttony, what else?"

"There isn't anything else," mumbled Gluttony. "I smell them here, and then… they left."

"I _know_ that, _moron_, but where'd they _go?_ What direction?"

"I… I don't know. They were here, and then they just weren't here."

"'They just weren't here,'" mocked Envy. "People don't just vanish!"

"Who knows what a wizard can do," Bradley corrected. "Perhaps he took the Elric Brothers away using a method of travel we can't track."

"It doesn't matter either way," purred Lust. "Father chose those boys as his sacrifices because he knows they won't just abandon this country. Wherever they are now, they'll come back before the Promised Day, and when they do… we'll be waiting for them."

* * *

In the days that followed, Ed's time was no longer devoted to decontaminating number twelve, Grimmauld Place; instead, he was placed under the joint tutelage of Hohenheim, Lupin, and Hermione.

"Since the whole point of you going to Hogwarts is for you to hide, you'll have to know enough magic to blend in," Hermione reasoned. "I know learning four years worth of magical knowledge in one month sounds like a daunting task… but _I_ think you can do it."

And so, they proceed to cram information about spells, potions, and the like into Ed's brain. Even with Hohenheim's attempts to bridge magical and alchemical theories, Ed found the first few days of this crash-course torturous. Harry often came into the library (where Ed and his tutors were holed up), and the young alchemist was honestly quite glad of his company. Somewhere amidst the deluge of wizarding training, Harry shared with Ed stories of his numerous dangerous experiences and close calls, making the small blonde realize how difficult the young wizard's life had been – not _so_ unlike his own.

"And now, _The Daily Prophet_ and most everyone else are trying to paint me as a some kind of melodramatic lunatic," concluded Harry. "It was bad enough when they just called me 'The Boy Who Lived.'"

"'The Boy Who Lived,'" Ed mused, speed-reading through _A History of Magic_, by Bathilda Bagshot, "It has a nice ring… but it's a funny thing, having a title like that. Sometimes, it feels like a badge of honor, and then – at other times – it's feels like a collar around your neck." Edward Elric knew all too well the burdens that came with being famous, the expectations.

* * *

August was in full swing when the day of Harry's hearing at the Ministry of Magic arrived. Ed wished him luck and success with everyone else, then returned to the library and his studies. Lupin and Hohenheim were both away on Order business that day, leaving Hermione to handle Ed on her own, a task that called upon all of her patience.

"You've got to stop trying to rationalize this, Ed! Magic isn't _meant_ to be what science and alchemy consider 'rational.'"

"But Hohenheim's sure there's a link, deep at the core! I want to figure out what it is!"

"Then it can _wait_ until _after_ you learn everything else!"

Ed groaned and flopped onto his back. "Why does this magic business have to be so damn hard?"

"_What?_" gaped Hermione, laughing a little. "This is _nothing_ next to trying to learn alchemy."

"Pff!" Ed scoffed. "I could comprehend alchemy when I was five."

Hermione looked at Ed as if he had just turned bright purple. "Are you serious?"

"Yep."

After digesting this information for a few seconds, the young witch seemed to come to an important conclusion. "You've got to be in Ravenclaw."

"Huh?"

"Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts. It's known for having produced some of the most brilliant witches and wizards in the world. If you were really learning something as complex as alchemy at _that_ age… there's no doubt in my mind that's where you should be."

"Are you in Ravenclaw, then?"

"No. I'm in Gryffindor, which has many of the bravest and most daring students-"

"Wait," said Ed, sitting up and raising an eyebrow, "So, are you admitting… that I'm smarter than you?"

"I… I didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it, weren't you?"

Hermione blushed. "I was not!"

"Come on," taunted Ed, edging a little closer to her. "Admit it. I'm smarter than you, aren't I?"

"_No_, you are _not_!" She was in his face now.

"You won't let me hear it just once?"

"I will do no such thing!" Despite her annoyed tone, Hermione was smiling, realizing just how silly this argument was. Then, her expression changed drastically to one of shock, and her voice came out in a tiny squeak. "Ron?"

Ed turned around, and – sure enough – Ron stood in the doorway. A mix of emotions registered on his freckled face, but the strongest were disbelief… and anger. All color drained from Hermione's face as she quickly leaned back and scooted away from Ed. Having been surrounded by platonic adults for the majority of the past three years, Edward took a beat longer to figure out what the problem was.

"Having a good time with our _private_ lesson, are we?" Ron demanded sharply.

Hermione reacted as if Ron had just slapped her across the face, and Ed immediately came to her defense.

"Lay off, Ron! We were just studying and… talking!"

"Then why the hell do I come in and find you two practically brushing noses? If you're going to get _cozy_, you could at least do it in a broom cupboard where no one would see you!"

"Ron, please," Hermione pleaded. "It's not like that! I have no interest of _that kind_ in Edward whatsoever!"

"No offense," she quickly added to Ed.

"None taken," he assured her.

"But, honestly!" said Hermione as she rounded on Ron, "That you would even suspect me of… of… _philandering_ that way, it's just insulting! I can't believe that you would think that low of me!"

And with that, she ran from the room, hiding the beginnings of tears.

"Smooth," Ed noted unsmilingly.

"Well… what else was I supposed to think? She's been my friend for years, and I can't help but… _worry_ about her."

Ed paused before answering as he sorted through the small mountain of books Hermione had laid out for him. "Well, you _don't_ need to worry about _any_ competition from me. Hermione's _great_ and all, but – as far as _I'm_ concerned – she's _all_ _yours_. Go for it."

Ron turned a brighter hue of red than his hair. "Wh… where did you get the idea that _I_ wanted to-"

"It's kind of written all over your face, not to mention the 'overprotective-boyfriend-wannabe' reaction just now."

"Bloody hell… do you think she knows?"

"Whether she does or not, it's none of my business," Ed reminded, picking up _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 3)_, by Miranda Goshawk. "Good luck patching things up with her after _accusing_ us of…" Edward was finding this conversation _increasingly_ awkward, having never been forced to discuss matters of _this_ kind before, "of…"

"_Snogging_, actually. _Snogging_ was the word going through my mind at the time."

"Well, there. 'Snogging.' I've never 'snogged' a girl in my life, and I have no intention of doing so for _quite_ a long time."

As if that put an end to it, Ed buried his nose in the spellbook and began perusing it with exaggerated intensity. Ron lingered in the room for a few moments, perhaps hoping to get some advice from Ed on how to handle this situation (in which case the young alchemist wouldn't have been any help anyway), but he soon ambled out into the hallway, looking quite ashamed of himself.

* * *

When a triumphant Harry returned to Grimmauld Place that afternoon, it took over an hour of coaxing from him to get Hermione to even talk to Ron. Alphonse – ever the peacemaker – did his best to alleviate the misunderstanding between them as well, but Harry warned him that when Ron and Hermione got in a "mood," they could keep an argument going for weeks.

"They'll work it out, eventually," Harry assured the Elric Brothers.

"But, what if they don't?" asked Al.

Harry sighed, "Then I don't know _what_ I'm going to do with them. But, they _will_, so don't worry about it."

"Ed, do you think you could-"

"Nope," Ed cut off his brother. "If I get involved, things will only get messier. I already gave Ron a scolding earlier – he knows what he has to do. The only question is whether he'll muster up the guts. Now, if you don't mind, I'm trying to get through this book."

"_Numerology and Grammatica?_" Al read from the spine of the book in question. "What's that for?"

"Arithmancy," grumbled Ed. "All three of my _illustrious_ tutors have insisted that I read _all_ the books for _all_ the classes for _all_ the-"

"Blimey, Ed!" said Fred, Apparating into a nearby armchair, soon followed George onto the adjacent couch. "I knew you were a bookworm at heart, but _come on!_ This is _ridiculous!_"

"If this is what it takes to pull off my masquerade at Hogwarts, then so be it. I won't let a couple of books stand in-between me and a chance to get Al's body back."

"'A couple?'" echoed George. "Try 'a couple dozen.' I mean, look, there's a whole separate stack just for the Lockhart books we had to read in our fourth year – Ron's second year."

"Oh, those?" Ed glanced at them and shrugged. "Hermione said I could leave them until last because they're practically worthless."

George smirked. "She says that now, but I remember how moonstruck she was with Lockhart that year, just like most of the other girls."

"Women," Fred shook his head in amazement, "As long as I live, I'll never understand what goes on in those heads of theirs."

"Join the club," Ed muttered, suddenly thinking of Winry and her unexplainable tendency to burst into tears. The problem was, once Winry had crept _into_ his head, he couldn't seem to push her out again. _Stop that_, he chided himself. _You're supposed to be studying, so study!_

* * *

Harry's prediction proved true; Ron and Hermione made amends before the week was out, and then it was back to business as usual. Ed read through every book he was assigned twice, and then Lupin and Hohenheim took turns testing how well he could remember the contents and applications. Hermione had let the adults take over for the most part – maybe that had been part of some kind of agreement between Ron and her to avoid further 'misunderstandings' – but she filled in whenever she was needed. Even though Ed wouldn't be allowed to use any magic until the start of term, Lupin in particular walked the young alchemist through the steps of countless incantations and wand movements. Ed put up with it, but he _still_ wasn't convinced that he could even perform magic at all.

"Of course you can do magic," Hohenheim assured him, smiling in spite of Ed's skeptical expression.

"But, I'm just not sure that alchemy and magic can mix; they're just so different!"

"Well, I'm an alchemist _and_ a wizard… and you're my son."

"But… but, you've got a Philosopher's Stone inside you. Isn't that kind of cheating?"

Hohenheim laughed, and Ed realized how childish his words had just sounded.

"An interesting theory," his father mused good-naturedly, "but I _highly_ doubt it."

"All right," Lupin called. "Back to the grindstone, Edward."

The small blonde rolled his eyes and snored in protest, but a look from Hohenheim that clearly said, _"Really? That's mature, Edward,"_ put an end to his insubordination.

"Coming."

* * *

As if Ed wasn't having a hard enough time juggling his training, yet another complication emerged in the middle of the month. He was taking a quick lunch break from his studies when he heard Al's excited voice.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yes," Hohenheim replied. "We've decided it's too dangerous for Mrs. Curtis to remain uninformed of the situation, so you and I will be leaving for Dublith this evening."

Ed's heart sank into his stomach. Could he really have heard that correctly?

"It would be great to see Teacher, and I want to help you protect Amestris in any way I can… but what about Brother?"

"He'll be safe at Hogwarts. And since the Ministry has no knowledge of you, the two of us can pass undetected into Amestris and monitor the situation there."

"I know all that… I mean, what should I tell him?"

Unable merely to overhear this conversation any longer, Ed pushed his chair back from the table as loudly as possible. The scraping sound drew the attention of his father and brother, and they entered the kitchen in response to it.

"I suppose you heard everything?" Hohenheim asked plainly.

"Pretty much."

Al tried to speak several times, but he seemed to be at a loss for words.

"It's okay, though," said Ed. "I understand why things have to work out this way. I don't particularly have to _like_ it, but I understand."

Hohenheim and Alphonse both let out sighs of relief – no doubt they had feared that Ed would explode at them. Feeling more comfortable now, Al approached his elder brother. "You really aren't mad or jealous or anything?"

"I wish I could go with you and all, but Hohenheim's right. I'd draw too much attention to myself _and_ the Order if I vanished off the Ministry's radar after only recently appearing on it in the first place. I'm just glad _one_ of us will be able to fight back home." Ed stood and looked his little brother straight in the eyes. "You watch yourself, Al. I won't be there to guard your back."

"Same for you," said Al. "You'll have to keep yourself in line without me."

"I'll do that," Ed replied, laughing in spite of himself. "The important thing is that we both keep moving forward until the day we get our bodies back." He held out his clenched automail fist, waiting for Al to follow suit.

"Right." The younger Elric bumped knuckles with his brother, and Ed could tell his soul was smiling.

* * *

Ed put on a brave face for his brother's departure, even though inside he was screaming in protest. He had never been separated from Alphonse this way; even when he had traveled to Central by himself to take his State Alchemist exam, the round trip had only taken a few days. This time, Ed didn't know _when_ he would see Al next. As everyone saw Hohenheim and Al off, Ed momentarily forgot about being strong; he tackled Al in a hug – a truly rare display of brotherly love on his part – and begged him to write whenever he got the chance. Just before they departed, Hohenheim pulled Ed aside.

"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm ducking out again," he apologized.

Ed shook his head before leveling his father with a deadly serious gaze. "You just keep Al safe, old man."

"I will." Hohenheim extended a hand to his son, and – after hesitating for a moment – Edward shook it.

With that, the two travelers stepped out into the London street. As the front door to number twelve closed between Ed and Al, the young alchemist caught a last glimpse of his brother's hand raised in farewell.

* * *

Ed's life at Grimmauld Place was so dominated by his wizarding training that the end of the month rushed toward him much too quickly. With the anxiety of his departure for Hogwarts growing, Ed's nightmares had returned as vivid and terrifying as ever. All too soon, it was the evening of August 30th. Needless to say, Ed barely slept at all that night, and when he finally _did_ drift off, his inner demons were waiting...

He was standing in the middle what looked like a shallow ocean that stretched as far as he could see in all directions. At first, he thought it was filled with dirty water, but then the smell told him otherwise. It was blood. Even as he watched, the level of the ocean began to rise, passing his ankles, his knees, his waist. As the surface neared his shoulders, he could see faces gazing at him from within the ripples and waves of blood. And then, the ocean closed over his head, enveloping him. A red glow illuminated the depths, showing thousands of agonized souls thrashing and screaming. They rushed upon him, pulling him down to join them. This was _more_ than an ocean of blood; this was a Philosopher's Stone. He was drowning amidst these lost souls, dissolving into nothing but mindless energy-

"Ed… Ed! Snap out of it!"

Edward sat up, gasping for breath and shaking like a leaf. Forcing down a slight urge to vomit, he saw Fred and George sitting by his cot, looking extremely worried.

"Merlin's pointy hat," said George. "You must have been having one hell of a nightmare."

Ed's expression confirmed their suspicions. He was still hyperventilating a little as he ran a hand through his long, loose hair. "I'll… be… okay…" he managed after his heart rate had started to return to normal.

"You sure?" pushed Fred.

"Yeah."

The twins exchanged an uncertain look, clearly wondering if Ed was just playing tough (which he was). Before they could press him further, however, the bedroom door burst open and their little sister bounded in.

"Criminy, Ginny!" yelped George, clutching at his heart. "Haven't you ever heard a little courtesy of knocking?"

"Yeah," added Fred, grabbing the bedsheet that Ed had kicked off in his sleep and throwing it over the young alchemist, "You can't just come skipping in here like you own the place! Ed here's only in his drawers! Have you any decency left?"

"Oh, stop it, you big ninnies," she argued. "Ed's not embarrassed – are you, Ed?"

Once Ed had managed to disentangle himself from the mass of cloth, he shrugged in response to Ginny's question. Truth be told, he wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. After all, Winry had seen him in his boxers plenty of times. Then again… Winry was a special case. With that in mind, Ed kept the sheet over his lower half, just to be safe.

"Anyway," continued Ginny, pulling out three letters and distributing one per boy, "the booklists have finally arrived."

"Excellent!" cried Fred.

"It's about time," said George.

Ed was much slower than Fred or George in opening his envelope (which was considerably thicker than either of the twins'). Even when he had pulled out the contents, he merely deposited them on top of the bedsheet and stared absentmindedly at them.

"Look at this," George pointed out. "Betcha this Slinkhard book was assigned by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Yep," agreed Fred. "Why don't we go consult the others about it?"

"Sounds good to me."

The twins looked at Ed expectantly, but he didn't give any indication of moving. "You two go on; I'm good."

Even after they had Disapparated, Ed did little more than skim over the letter and supply list, not really taking in any of it. Here at last was undeniable proof; he really was going to Hogwarts. After an unknown length of time, Mrs. Weasley entered the bedroom, muttering to herself about booklists and shopping until she noticed him.

"Oh, Edward." She took a moment to register his morose expression. "What's wrong, dear?"

The small blonde looked up into her kind face, but he couldn't make the words come out. Nevertheless, her maternal instincts seemed to understand his doubt and pain. She knelt by his cot and picked up the contents of his Hogwarts letter.

"Changes are never easy," she said comfortingly, "but the important thing is that we don't let them hold us back. We have to push through them and move forward, yes?"

She had said exactly what he needed to hear; her words blew blazing life into the embers of courage in his heart.

"Yeah," he said, smiling for the first time in many days. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

She beamed at him as she stood. "Now, I need you to get dressed; we've got a busy day of shopping ahead of us."

"Huh?"

"You'll have to come with me to Diagon Alley to get your school supplies," she explained, walking back toward the hallway. "We're leaving in twenty minutes."

Once Mrs. Weasley shut the door, Ed roused himself from his stunned state and grabbed his clothes. As he pulled on his black leather pants, he felt a large lump in his right pocket. Reaching inside, he withdrew his silver pocket watch, the symbol of his rank as a State Alchemist. He was alone; no one would see. Ed unsealed the lid and opened it, revealing the inscription on the inner lid. _Don't forget. 3 Oct '11_. The etched words filled Ed with strength, just as they always did.

The Wizarding World could throw whatever it wanted at him; he would face it head-on and overcome it. He was Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Nothing could break his resolve.

* * *

A/N: Told you I had fun stuff planned for Harry's arrival. Way to get off on the wrong foot, boys… (but they worked it out quickly, so all is well)

Yay! Edward and Hohenheim are making progress! Ed's not comfortable enough to call Hoho "Father" or "Dad" yet, though…

I won't lie; writing Ron's overreaction was one of my favorite parts in this chapter. The poor fellow has no tact.


	6. Heart of Dragon, Wit of Eagle

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: So, in case you're wondering… the chapter in which Ed actually arrives at Hogwarts has arrived! But, he's got to get stocked up at Diagon Alley first. Should be fun… 行くよ! (Let's go!)

Again, some lines are directly from the book and belong solely to the genius of J.K. Rowling.

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME to **anonymouse**: You are welcome. Wow… _Ron_ thought of as an Envy replacement? [disturbing mental image of Ron in _that_ outfit appears] That's just wrong. I can promise right now that no _HP_ character will end up a Homunculus. Yeah, Al had to explain everything to Izumi, but he survived. I'm glad you like the Ed/Weasley-twin partnership. It _is_ an unholy trio of sorts…

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! [blows digital kisses]

**EDIT**: I checked a better Ed bio, and it said he's 4' 11", not 4' 8", so ironically, I was right **before** I checked the wiki *facepalm*

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Heart of Dragon, Wit of Eagle**

Ed met Mrs. Weasley in the living room in front of the unused fireplace. She was holding an old flowerpot containing a green powder that caught the mid-morning light on its many-faceted particles.

"No doubt this will be your first time to use Floo Powder," she said jovially, "but it's really not difficult."

"You can say that all you like, Mum," called Ron, who was walking toward the staircase, "but Harry nearly got lost in Knockturn Alley the first time he tried."

"Only because he got tongue-tied at the last second," Mrs. Weasley countered, offering the pot to Ed. "Now, dear, you just grab a small handful, step into the fireplace, state your destination clearly, and throw down the powder."

"Okay," said Ed, sure that this was easier said than done. "'Diagon Alley,' right?"

"Yes, dear. I'll be right behind you."

Ed stepped into the cleaned hearth, Floo Powder in hand. When he hesitated, Mrs. Weasley gave him an encouraging nod. And so, he closed his eyes, declared, "Diagon Alley," and flung the powder toward his feet. In an instant, he experienced a disorienting spinning sensation, as if he were hurtling in a centrifuge at top-speed. It might have been interesting to watch all the possible destinations zoom past, but Ed only dared to open his eyes for a few seconds at a time. At last, he tumbled out of a fireplace and rolled onto a rough, stone floor. He didn't know where he was exactly or even which way was up, and he had no intention of finding out at the moment. _Damn_, he thought, _is there any method of wizarding travel that doesn't leave me feeling nauseous?_

Ed seriously considered just lying there until Mrs. Weasley arrived, but then an outstretched hand entered his swimming field of vision, and a familiar, strong voice asked, "Need a hand?"

Not bothering to think twice, Ed let himself be pulled onto his feet. Once the floor and ceiling finally reoriented themselves, Ed realized onto whose wrist he had grabbed.

"Hohenheim?" he goggled.

"Hello, Son."

"What are you doing _here_? Where's Al? Is he with you?" Ed craned his neck to look around his father, hoping to catch sight of the tall suit of armor.

"He's in Central. I asked your superior officer to look after him for a few days."

"Mustang? How'd he react?"

"Well, he was frustrated that neither Al nor I would tell him much of anything, but he agreed to it." Hohenheim clapped a friendly hand on Ed's shoulder and smiled at him. "We had quite an adventure in Dublith, but Al made me promise to keep quiet so that he could write you about it himself. I do, however, have something to give you." He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his overcoat pocket and opened it for Ed to examine. It was a diagram of an incomplete transmutation circle, one resembling a combination of the arrays for Human Transmutation and the Philosopher's Stone.

"I passed through the ruins of Xerxes on my way here," Hohenheim explained, "so I copied down what was left of the transmutation circle that the Homunculus used all those years ago. You should hang onto it."

"Uh, thanks," said Edward, accepting the diagram and stuffing it into his left pocket. "But, what were you doing way out in Xerxes?"

"Well, as compensation (if you will) for looking after Alphonse, Colonel Mustang asked for my help in escorting a Miss Maria Ross safely to Xing."

"Xing? Across the desert? But why would Lieutenant Ro-"

"Al will explain everything in his letter. For now, let's focus on the matter at hand."

"Which is?"

"Getting you ready for Hogwarts. Ah, Molly, there you are."

Mrs. Weasley trotted up to the two blondes and greeted Hohenheim cheerily, "Oh, hello, Van. I wasn't sure if you'd make it."

"Well, what kind of father would I be if I didn't see Edward off properly?"

Ed could think of many words to describe "what kind of father" that would make Hohenheim – very _few_ of which were endearing – but he decided to keep them to himself.

Mrs. Weasley pulled out Ed's supply list and tore off the section solely covering books, handing the rest of it to Hohenheim. "We can make the most of our time if I handle all the books and Ron's new broom, while you help Edward with the rest of his necessities."

"An excellent plan," the sagely alchemist agreed, taking the list and glancing over it. He gave Mrs. Weasley the money for Ed's books before turning to his son. "Right, let's get moving then…"

Ed had little choice but to trail after his father through the brightly colored stores and stalls of Diagon Alley. Thankfully, the outlandish clothes worn by the surrounding witches and wizards helped Ed's vibrant red duster blend in – no one would spot him easily in _this_ crowd. Their first destination was Madame Malkin's, where Ed was measured for robes, but Ed's temper nearly blew a fuse when Madame Malkin muttered, "Only four-foot-eleven… the child should probably drink more milk." Next came the apothecary, a shop far more interesting to the young alchemist. While Hohenheim tended to the official business of the visit, Ed scoured the shelves of magical ingredients, wondering what might happen if he tried to transmute one of them. As the day dragged on, however, Ed's energy waned.

"Are we done yet?" he asked lazily, leaning his head as far back as his neck would allow.

Hohenheim examined the list. "Almost. Only one stop left."

"And where's that?"

Ed's father smiled at him almost teasingly, as if he knew a secret that he didn't feel like telling. "Ollivander's. It's high time you had a wand."

* * *

Ollivander's store was dusty, narrow, and thoroughly creepy. The shopkeeper himself reminded Ed of a stalk of wheat: tall and willowy. His bright, pale eyes looked rather like small flashlights as they focused their gaze on the two alchemists.

"It's been quite some time since I saw _you_ in here, Van Hohenheim," greeted Ollivander. "What was that replacement wand I made for you back then… twelve inches, pine, and unicorn hair? But enough of the past; who is this fine lad?"

"My son," said Hohenheim.

"Edward Elric," added the owner of that name as he shook the shopkeeper's thin hand.

"I would assume then that _you_ are the one in need of a wand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, then, let's not waste any time." Ollivander emerged from behind his countertop and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Now, which is your wand arm?"

During his training with Lupin for the past several weeks, Ed had practiced with his left hand, so he held up that arm for Ollivander to see. The old shopkeeper then took several unusual measurements: from Ed's shoulder to the ground, his fingers to his underarm, and so on.

"Now, for the fun part," said Ollivander, putting away his tape measurer and walking back toward the many shelves of skinny boxes. He returned carrying a good dozen of these packages, deposited them atop the counter, and opened one at the top of the stack.

"Twelve-and-a-half inches, willow, unicorn hair," declared Ollivander, holding out the wand to the small blonde. "Just give it a little wave."

Ed followed these instructions, and a lamp placed upon a high shelf promptly shattered. Before Ed could even say, "Sorry," Ollivander whisked the wand out of Ed's hand, muttering, "Obviously not _that_ one," and offered him another, saying, "Ten inches, cherry, dragon heartstring."

This process continued for a good hour, and Ed began to wonder if they would _ever_ find a wand that wouldn't cause some kind of destruction.

"Is it supposed to be like this?" he asked Hohenheim as Ollivander retreated once more into the depths of his store.

"Ollivander knows what he's doing; just let him do his job. Besides, he's having a wonderful time – just look at him. I wouldn't doubt that you're the first tough case he's had in a long time."

At that moment, Ollivander returned with a single box and an unreadable expression. He withdrew the wand from its case gingerly, as though it might explode if not handled properly.

"Nine-and-a-fourth inches, ash, dragon heartstring," he pronounced with a somberness that made Ed hold his breath as he reached out for the wand. As soon as he wrapped his fingers around the grooved handle, a surging sensation rushed throughout his entire body. His left arm began to tremble, but he quickly steadied it with his right. Ed glanced up at Ollivander uncertainly, but the old shopkeeper merely stood over him expectantly, eyes wide and thumbs twiddling. Exhaling in an attempt to calm his nerves, Ed gave the wand the slightest of nudges downward. Immediately, golden sparks flowed from the wandtip in the shape of a dragon before dissolving into a warm light.

"Aha!" cried Ollivander, clapping his hands in glee. "I knew we'd find the one for you eventually!" Then, his countenance returned to one of pensive seriousness. "And now, Mr. Elric, I must tell you something; sit down."

Feeling quite confused, Ed complied, still clutching the ash wand in his hands.

"I promised myself that when this wand chose its master, I would tell that individual the whole story behind its creation, and (by doing so) inform that person of their _precarious_ position. You see… the heartstring at the core of this wand came from a particularly fierce Hungarian Horntail. Yes, that magnificent creature did not go down easily, and even as he breathed his last, the fire had not dimmed from his eyes. When I began crafting this wand, the spirit of that dragon lingered on in the heartstring, making it powerful… and dangerous."

Ed gulped. "Dangerous how?"

"It exhibited unyielding and rebellious tendencies. I had hoped I could tame it, but its tenacity proved indomitable. I even went so far as to try and destroy the wand, but even _this_ attempt failed."

"You mean to say that you could not break it?" asked Hohenheim.

"Exactly that. Its desire to remain in existence strengthened it to such an extent that destroying it would be virtually impossible. So, I was stuck with the troublesome thing, and, for many years, I hid it away. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was still in power at the time, and I dared not let anyone test that wand for fear that it would be drawn to an evil heart and become a weapon for dark forces. When Mr. Harry Potter came to my shop several years ago, I considered letting him try it, but I decided against it in the end; his temperament wouldn't have stood a chance against its ferocity."

"And now," said Ollivander, "it has chosen _you_."

"You're really saying it has a mind of its own?" asked Ed.

"Wands are a curious business, but it has always been clear to me that the wand chooses the wizard."

"So… what does all of this mean for _me_?"

"I tell you all of this so that you may be _wise_ in handling this wand. It obviously senses a strong spirit in you, but in return for bestowing you with its power, it demands of you decisiveness and loyalty. This wand will not tolerate a weak or hesitant master."

"I understand," said Edward, feeling a little overwhelmed by the graveness of this matter. "I won't let it down."

Ollivander winked at the small blonde. "You know, as soon as you entered my shop, I had a hunch that you were the one meant for this wand. You have the fire of a dragon in your eyes."

* * *

Back at Grimmauld Place that evening, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley children listened patiently as Ed relayed everything Ollivander had told him about his wand.

"That's mental," said Ron as soon as Ed had finished.

"That's scary," admitted Harry.

"That's wicked!" cried Fred and George in glorious unison.

"It almost sounds like that wand in the story Mum used to tell us when we were little," mused Ginny more to herself than to the others, "the one in 'The Tale of the Three Brothers,' the Elder Wand."

"So… did Ollivander bother to tell you what would happen if the wand sensed weakness in you?" asked Hermione.

"Are you saying you think I'm weak?" retorted Ed.

"No, I was just curious."

"Well, I asked him that myself, and he said he had no idea what would happen."

Ron snorted. "Some help _he_ is." He stood and approached the ash wand which Ed had laid on a side-table for display. "I wonder," he said, stretching out a finger toward it.

"Uh, Ron?" cautioned Ed. "I _really_ wouldn't do that…"

Too late – as soon as Ron touched the wand, some powerful force flung him backward several feet so that he nearly fell on top of the twins.

"He did warn you," chided Fred.

"Are you okay, _ickle Ronnie_?" asked George in a simpering voice of fake concern.

"Fine! Get off!" Ron then looked at Ed with something resembling awe. "That thing's like a bolt of lightning. Ollivander's seriously losing his touch, giving you a wand like _that_."

In defiance to this morbid pronouncement, Ed picked up the ash wand and twirled it between his forefinger and thumb several times.

"Well, as long as you're careful with it like Ollivander told you to be, I don't think there should be a problem," said Hermione, bringing the conversation to a close.

* * *

Much to Ed's surprise and relief, he was spared from any nightmares that night. He awoke quite refreshed, but had little time to rouse all of his senses before Ron popped in, saying, "Hurry up, Ed! Mum says we'll miss the train at this rate!"

Ed lethargically dragged himself out of bed, dressed, and packed his small suitcase, finally trudging down the stairs to meet the others. Harry was complaining about needing an Auror guard, but Mad-Eye wouldn't budge on the matter. The young alchemist paid little attention to this argument – or much of anything in his surroundings – until Hohenheim spoke from behind him. "Are we all ready, then?"

"Yes, I think so," said Moody with an awful finality, fixing Harry with the glare of his magical eye.

The walk to the King's Cross train station was largely uneventful, save for the appearance of Tonks disguised as an old woman, and Sirius – who had shape-shifted into the form of a large, black dog – engaging in canine antics for Harry's amusement. Moody sourly muttered something under his breath like, "Next time Sturgis Podmore reports in, I just might have to strangle him." When at last they reached the busy platforms, Ed couldn't help but feel nostalgic – King's Cross reminded him so much of Central Station. He then noticed that Harry and Ron had just walked right through a brick pillar dividing Platform 9 and Platform 10.

"What the-"

"Just go with it," Hohenheim advised as he passed. Left with little choice, Ed followed. Sure enough, the brick wall had no substance, and Ed began to wonder if his common sense as an alchemist could take much more of this. Beyond the barrier was another platform where a scarlet red engine waited, billowing steam: the Hogwarts Express. Looking up, Edward saw a sign labeled "Platform 9 ¾."

"As if this place wasn't weird enough already," he said amusedly.

"Ed, come on!" Harry called. "The train's going to leave any minute now!"

"Okay," Ed answered without enthusiasm. He was sorely tempted to refuse to get on the train at all, to stand on that platform until the engine pulled away.

"You really should get on board," said Hohenheim.

Ed looked at his father, trying to mask his conflicted emotions, but he did not move.

Hohenheim sighed. "Well, I suppose this is it." No reply. "Alphonse will write as soon as he gets the chance."

"Sure," Ed managed. "Just hurry up and see Lieutenant Ross to Xing so you can get back to Al in Central."

"I'll do that."

An awkward pause hung between them like a veil. Finally, Ed faced the nearest train car and took a step toward it.

"Edward, wait!"

The small blonde barely had time to turn around before strong arms had enfolded him. Even in his early memories, Ed could not remember his father having ever hugged him before. The realization made him oddly numb; he didn't return the embrace, but he didn't push away from it either. Hohenheim leaned forward and gently kissed the top of his son's head. "Be safe… I love you."

Ed didn't know how to react. A tug-of-war ensued in his chest. _What should I do? What should I say?_ A whistle blew nearby, signaling the imminent departure of the train. If he was going to do something, he had to do it now.

"Yeah," he said briskly in an effort to keep his voice steady. "You too." Unwilling to allow any further paternal displays, Ed ducked out from under Hohenheim's embrace and stepped onto the train. He didn't look back, a little afraid he might see his father smiling, or crying, or both. Even after the Hogwarts Express had glided out of the station, Ed remained in the hallway by the side doors, leaning against the outer wall of a train booth. The farewell had left him in a daze, unable to focus, to think. Eventually, Fred walked past and noticed him.

"There you are, Ed. George asked me to look for you." As he approached the small blonde, Fred's brow creased in concern. "Uh, you're not _depressed_ again, are you?"

Ed shook his head. "Just… distracted."

"Well, you might as well be distracted in our compartment. We're going over our plans for the year with Lee. Lee Jordan, that is, one of our dormmates."

Allowing Fred to lead him along the train car's long passage, Ed dragged his trunk as he tried to sort out the muddled mess that was supposed to be his brain. When they reached the booth in question, Ed nodded in George's direction, grunted a quick "Hey," to Lee Jordan (a tall boy with dreadlocks), and flumped onto the opposite bench. He didn't really listen as the Weasley twins laid out their extensive scheme to spread Nosebleed Nougats, Puking Pasties, and heaven knows what else throughout the entire student body of Hogwarts. Instead, he draped his right arm across his forehead in the faint hope that the coldness of metal would seep through the sleeve of his red coat and cool his head, that it would calm his turbulent thoughts.

* * *

After what must have been at least an hour, Ron and Hermione passed by the compartment.

"We only just got out of our prefect meeting," explained Hermione, which earned snorts of disdain from the three seventh-years.

"So now, we're gonna go find Harry," said Ron. "Wanna come, Ed?"

"And why would he want to go with _you_?" asked George indignantly. "He's _our_ coconspirator."

"And he's in _our_ year," retorted Ron. "It's not fair for you two to hog him all to yourselves."

Unable to let this petty squabble continue, Ed sat up. "Now, now, ladies. No need to fight over me."

That got everyone's attention. Hermione looked as though she might laugh, but Ron's ears turned crimson. Feeling a little more cheerful at having achieved the desired result, the young alchemist stood and hefted his suitcase. "Sure, I'll come, Ron. See ya later, Fred, George. Nice meeting you, Lee."

As soon as the compartment door slid shut, Hermione let a small giggle escape.

"Is something funny?" asked Ron, still a little pink in the face.

"Oh, no, nothing," she assured him, but she snuck Ed a secretive smile once Ron glanced away. The trio searched up and down the Hogwarts Express, and – just as their luck would have it – Harry was in the last place they looked. He appeared a little deflated as they entered, as if something had just gone not at all the way he had hoped.

"Something up?" Ed asked.

Harry shook his head, but Edward could tell he was faking, being such a skilled liar himself.

"Oh, Ed," piped up Ginny, "we've got to introduce you, first thing. This is Neville Longbottom, he's a Gryffindor in Harry's year and a genius in Herbology, and this… this is Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw in my year. Neville and Luna, meet Edward Elric."

"Hello," Ed greeted passively, looking warily at the odd, cactus-like plant in Neville's arms.

"Do you think we'll all fit in here?" asked Hermione worriedly.

"Oh, rubbish," insisted Ginny, "I'm sure we can make enough room.

"You can sit here, if you like," said Luna Lovegood, looking at Ed and patting a spot on the cushion to her immediate left. Glancing around the room, he could tell that no one else was keen on sitting with this girl. _Might as well_, he shrugged inwardly as he took the seat. Luna smiled at him dreamily, as if she was about to fall asleep, even though her large eyes made her seem oddly surprised. Ed reminded himself that this girl was in Ravenclaw. _What was Hermione thinking?_ he pondered._ If all Ravenclaw students are this wacky_, _I definitely don't want to end up in their house._

"So," said Harry, cutting in on Ed's thoughts, "how'd the prefect meeting go?"

"Well, Malfoy made Slytherin prefect, obviously, along with that pug-nosed Pansy Parkinson," Ron grumbled. "I'm sure that'll be pleasant to deal with all year."

"Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein are the Ravenclaw prefects," picked up Hermione, "and Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott are Hufflepuff's."

"I swear, these Hogwarts houses have the most ridiculous names."

Everyone in the booth stared at Ed as if he had just spontaneously combusted.

"Um, Ed, those were the _actual_ last names of the four Hogwarts founders," said Hermione. "You should have read about that."

"I remember. I'm just saying they had unfortunate names. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin – you'd think they were characters in a storybook or something. The most extravagantly-named person I know is Alex Louis Armstrong, but he's an extravagant individual, so at least it fits him."

"Your hair is beautiful," said Luna suddenly. Only then did Ed realize she had been stroking his braid delicately with two fingers. "Gold is the color of wisdom and prosperity, you know."

"Uh…" Ed hoped he wasn't blushing. The only girls to have ever touched his hair before were his mother, Granny Pinako, Izumi Curtis, and Winry. For a girl he'd only just met to do it felt inherently _wrong_. He quickly flicked his braid over the opposite shoulder and said, quite curtly, "Fascinating."

The following moment of awkward silence broke when the compartment door opened. On the threshold stood three boys who looked around Harry's age. The one in front had prominent cheekbones, cold grey eyes, a pointed nose, and platinum blond hair slicked back over his head in an most unflattering manner, all culminating in a severely snobbish air, whereas the two behind him resembled gorillas more than human beings: enormous, menacing, and definitively stupid. Noticing the green and silver prefect's badge pinned on the blonde boy's vest, Ed wondered if this was the "Malfoy" kid Ron had mentioned only a minute ago.

"What?" Harry growled aggressively.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled the snobbish boy. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville laughed, but the blonde boy's lip curled.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply, confirming Ed's suspicions.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.

Malfoy sniggered as he and his two Neanderthal cronies departed. Hermione slammed the door shut behind them and exchanged a meaningful, worried look with Harry. Ed had to wonder what the problem was; had it been something that Malfoy snob-ass had said? The word "dogging" came to mind. Could it have been a reference to Sirius Black, who had, after all, transformed into a dog that very morning and accompanied them to the station?

As the afternoon dragged onward and evening approached, Hermione said at last, "We'd better change." Everyone else started pulling out their trunks and tugging on their school robes, but Ed hesitated. He hadn't worn his black jacket under his duster that day because of the heat; if he were to take off his coat, his automail would be plain for all to see. Harry seemed to comprehend Ed's reluctance.

"Oh, don't worry, Ed. I know for a fact Neville can be trusted."

"Trusted with what?" said the boy in question.

"Is it a dark secret?" Luna asked calmly, as if she had just inquired about the weather. "I can keep secrets."

Ed grudgingly pulled the collar of his coat away from his neck and down over his shoulder, letting the metal plating catch the light of the slowly sinking sun.

"Whoa," breathed Neville in awe. Luna said nothing, but her wide eyes reflected the glimmer of Ed's automail in an almost eerie way.

Thinking the worst was over, Ed stood and slid his coat off completely, turning his back on the others as he reached inside his trunk lofted in the upper luggage rack, feeling for the black robes he'd gotten in Diagon Alley the day before. As he did so, however, he heard sharp intakes of breath from almost everyone else in the booth.

"What?" he demanded as he looked over his right shoulder at them.

"Merlin's beard," said Ron, looking a little queasy.

"That… that looks really painful," agreed Hermione.

"Ed, we had no idea it was that bad," concluded Harry.

Ed tried to get a look at what they were talking about, but Luna saved him the trouble. "Don't mind them; they're just not used to seeing someone their own age with so many scars."

_Scars?_ Ed thought. _Oh, yeah, between the automail surgery and all my fights since then, I guess I have gotten pretty beaten up._

"Well, I don't know why you all are making such a big fuss," said Ginny bluntly. "I've seen _all_ of it, and I didn't freak out."

"Hang on, young lady!" snapped Ron, rounding on his sister. "What the hell do you mean by '_all_ of it?'"

"I saw him in his underwear yesterday morning."

"Ginny!" Ed gaped, stunned at the redhead's frankness. "There's no need to bring that up _here_, _now_! Ron, I swear, I had nothing to do with it. She stormed into the room with no warning, and Fred buried me in a sheet within two seconds!"

Thankfully, Ron seemed to believe Ed and placed blame heavily on Ginny. She, however, continued to act rather smug about the ordeal, saying things like, "Two seconds is plenty of time when you've got good eyes," or, "You thought Ed's bicep was impressive a minute ago? You should see the rest of him." Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ed, and Luna tried to ignore this family conflict, but the young alchemist was sure that a faint patch of red had crept across his face. Why did Ginny feel the need to harp on the well-kept state of his musculature? Hermione, sympathizing with Ed's utter mortification, finally diverted the argument on his behalf.

"Please, Ginny, you've already started going out with a boy. I hope you're not two-timing the poor fellow because of Edward."

Ron stopped with his mouth agape. "What d'you mean, 'started going out?' Ginny, what's Hermione talking about?"

"None of your business," said his younger sister defiantly.

"It _is_ my business; I'm your brother! Who are you going out with?"

"Grammatically speaking, it's 'with whom are you going out,' Ron," chided Hermione.

"Whatever!"

"I'm not going to tell _you_," retorted Ginny. "You'll only go and try to beat him up."

"And what's wrong with that? I'm your brother!"

"Then, as my brother, you should respect my decision to go out with someone. It's my life!"

"Well, would you look at that!" cried Neville all of a sudden, facing the window. "I can see Hogwarts!"

Glad of the intervening distraction, Ed followed the boy's gaze and watched the outline of an enormous castle grow larger and larger on the horizon. _Well_, he gulped, _I guess there's_ _no turning back now_.

* * *

When the seven of them finally stepped off of the train and onto a large platform marked as "Hogsmeade Station," Harry, Ron, and Hermione instantly looked around, as if searching for a familiar face. It must have been someone instantly distinguishable, because Harry quickly blurted out, "Where's Hagrid?"

This question seemed to have no answer, so Ed decided to forget about it and take in his surroundings as a whole. The shifting sea of black-robed Hogwarts students mainly flowed toward a collection of horse-drawn carriages. Ed had to refrain from laughing; he was so used to steam engines and internal-combustion motors that the thought of returning to a horse-and-buggy mode of transportation was outlandish and rather amusing. As he approached the carriages with the others, however, Ed noticed something quite strange. The horses pulling the landau-like carts were definitely not normal. Rather, they were skeletal with bat-like wings and black, leathery skin stretched taut over the bones and sinewy muscles, but what drew Ed's attention most were their eyes: wide, blank, hollow. One of the creatures looked directly at him, and Ed found himself caught in that empty stare. He knew that gaze; he had encountered it four years ago in a void as white as this horse's eyes; the Truth – the harsh finality of death – was watching him through those piercing blank eyes, waiting for him to come a little closer so that its emptiness might consume him.

"Uh, Ed?" Harry's voice cut through the power of the creature's stare, and Ed blinked.

"Huh?"

"Are you… that is… can you see those things, too?"

"Yeah. Why would you ask that?"

"Because they weren't pulling the carriages before."

Ed gulped. "So… what, do you think we're both suffering from the same hallucination?"

"Oh, don't worry," said Luna Lovegood as she glided past the two boys. "Neither of you is going mad. I can see them, too. You're just as sane as I am." She slipped into the carriage with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville, leaving Ed and Harry alone for a moment.

"Well," Ed pronounced sarcastically, "We're as sane as she is. That's comforting."

* * *

As soon as their carriage had slowed to a halt, Ed bolted out, eager to get as far away from the horse-like creatures as possible. Ron, however, interpreted this act as a sign of enthusiasm at reaching the school and proceeded to take on the role of tour guide.

"Here's the Entrance Hall," he announced proudly. "And just beyond is the Great Hall, where awaits… the Start-of-Term Feast." His mouth watered even as he said it.

"Oh, because that's _obviously_ the most important part," sighed Hermione, rolling her eyes in faint disgust. "Honestly, Ronald, is food the only thing you consistently think about?"

"Can't think; want feast."

"Oh, for heaven's sake."

"Well," said Harry," shall we go in, then? They'll be starting the usual ceremonies soon."

"Ceremonies?" asked Ed.

Just then, an authoritative female voice resounded like a trumpet call. "Just a moment!"

Everyone turned. A tall, stern-looking woman in a green tartan dress, a pointed hat cocked to one side, and square spectacles approached them carrying a thick roll of worn-looking paper.

"Professor McGonagall," Harry greeted the woman.

"Hello, Potter," replied the woman a little curtly, as if she didn't have time for small talk. "Would I be correct in assuming," she continued, looking down at Ed, "that you are Mr. Edward Elric?"

The young alchemist immediately felt a kind of fear well up in him – a respect he had only ever given to Izumi Curtis. "Yes, ma'am."

"Excellent. Come with me." Without another word, she turned on her heel and proceeded back the way she had come. Ed glanced at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but they all motioned that he should follow immediately… so he did.

For a woman well into – or maybe even past – her middle-aged years, Professor McGonagall could walk with alarming haste; Ed had to jog in order to catch up to her. At last, they reached a group of about forty children standing outside large, wooden double doors.

"Now," said McGonagall, coming to a halt, "Professor Dumbledore has made me _fully_ _aware_ of your situation, Mr. Elric. In accordance with standard Hogwarts procedure, you will be sorted along with these other students."

Ed looked at the youngsters who he now realized were brand new Hogwarts-goers, meaning they were first-years. In spite of the fearsome aura of authority McGonagall emanated, Ed laughed nervously and asked, "Uh, you're not seriously saying I have to stand with these _kids_, are you?"

The witch pursed her lips slightly. "Mr. Elric, I am the Deputy Headmistress of this school. That means that, when I give you an instruction, you follow it. Understand?"

Ed bit down on his lower lip and his retort, nodding in submission.

"Then do so. I will return momentarily to accompany you into the Great Hall."

"Uh, Professor?"

McGonagall paused, veiling her irritation.

"What does this 'sorting' business involve, exactly?"

A smirk played with the corners of the witch's mouth. "Oh, nothing too strenuous. Just _follow my instructions_, and you'll do fine."

Left with this ambiguous answer, Ed edged a little closer to the eleven-year-olds, showing them a momentary smile. Before two minutes had passed, McGonagall returned, now carrying a small stool and a patched, frayed wizard's hat in her previously free hand.

"Come along, now," she called to the group. Immediately, the grand doors opened, revealing the Great Hall. Ed let out a low whistle; it was certainly impressive to behold with its enchanted ceiling, floating candles, and lengthy tables. At the far end of the hall, one table lay perpendicular to the others, in the middle of which sat Dumbledore in a throne-like chair. As the troupe of first-years entered behind Professor McGonagall, the Headmaster winked ever-so-slightly in Ed's direction, giving the small blonde the confidence he sorely needed at the moment. Ed trailed behind the younger students enough to differentiate himself from them, but not so much as to draw unnecessary attention to himself. McGonagall approached the table occupied by Dumbledore and the staff, set the small stool down in front of it, and placed the worn hat atop the stool. Almost as soon as she did so, a wide rip near the brim of the hat opened, and the hat began to sing in a resonating voice. Ed didn't bother to listen; he was too busy taking in the total effect of the Great Hall. Once the old hat had finished, McGonagall unfurled her long roll of parchment and addressed the first-years (and Ed).

"When I call your name, you will sit on this stool, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your respective houses. Abercrombie, Euan."

_You've got to be kidding me_, wondered Ed in horror as McGonagall continued down her list. _Put on that hideous thing? How much embarrassment can one guy take in a single day?_

He was distracted from these thoughts by a tug on his left sleeve. When he turned to discover the cause, he found Luna Lovegood's smiling face.

"Good luck," she said quietly.

"Does luck really have anything to do with it?"

"Elric, Edward," called McGonagall.

The muscles in Ed's human leg seized up, but he forced himself to walk through the small crowd of first-years and sit on the stool, crossing his arms in displeasure. As Professor McGonagall set the large Hat on his head, Ed's gaze dropped to examine his gloved fingers peeking through the crook of his arm. For a moment, absolutely nothing happened. Then, a small voice spoke up inside his mind.

"Hmm," the voice said. "Now, this is interesting."

_Oh, great_, Ed groaned inwardly. _I've finally lost it. The Wizarding World has officially driven me insane_.

"Don't be ludicrous, boy. Your mind is wholly intact, and quite remarkable. It's only me, the Sorting Hat."

_Oh. So…_

"_So_, let me concentrate on where to put you. I don't think Slytherin would be best, and there'd be no need to put you in Hufflepuff if you'll do well in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."

The Hat then fell silent, and Ed could feel the eyes of the entire Hall boring into him. _Okay_, he urged the Sorting Hat, _any day now would be nice_.

"Quiet, boy, I'm thinking."

_Well, I'm sick of sitting here! Do you think anyone would mind if I transmuted you into a scarf and spared everyone the trouble?_

"They _would_ mind… wait, what was that again?"

_I said I wanted to transmute you into a scarf_.

"Now _there's_ something I can work with."

_Huh?_

"RAVENCLAW!" the Hat announced to the occupants of the Great Hall. As relieved as he was that it was over, Ed couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. It would have been nice to be in the same house as Harry, Ron, and Hermione – some of the first real friends he'd made in years. Nevertheless, as he walked back toward the Ravenclaw table, Luna's smile drew him to an empty spot on the bench next to her. Eventually, all the first-years were sorted, and Dumbledore stood to address the students.

"To our newcomers," he said in a ringing tone, "welcome. To our old hands – welcome back. There is a time for speechmaking, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

Ed gratefully began grabbing food off of nearby platters and stuffing his face.

"So, how long was I up there?" he asked Luna between mouthfuls.

"Oh, less than a minute."

"It felt like an eternity."

"Well, hello there, Elric," greeted a new voice. Ed looked up from his food to see a tall, blonde boy wearing a blue and bronze prefect badge. "I'm-"

"Anthony Goldstein," Ed finished for him. "Hermione Granger told me who all the prefects were."

"Oh," said Anthony, looking a bit put out that Ed had stolen his thunder. "Well, yes. In any case, I will be escorting you and the other first-years up to Ravenclaw Tower and the Common Room."

Ed had to resist the urge to punch the prefect. "Let's get one thing straight, Goldstein. I'm not a first-year. I happen to be fifteen."

Anthony gaped at the small blonde. "But, you were just sorted."

"I'm a special case; let's leave it at that. I'd prefer not to lay out my life story over dinner, thanks."

Ed paid no more heed to the people or conversations around him while he ate. Only when everyone had finished the meal and Dumbledore rose to his feet once again did Ed's attention turn to the Headmaster. The sagely wizard began explaining school rules and the like – matters in which Edward had little to no interest – until he finally mentioned the presence of two new teachers.

"We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Umbridge. Ed knew that name; Harry had mentioned her when he had relayed an account of his hearing at the Ministry. Apparently, she had the position of Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, as well as a strong dislike for both Dumbledore and Harry. _So, why the hell is she here?_ pondered Ed.

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the-"

He suddenly stopped, looking in the direction of the short, stubby, toad-faced woman Ed could only assume was Dolores Umbridge. It took the students a few moments to realize that Umbridge was standing, because her lack of height made such little difference when she got to her feet. She gave a little cough that went, "_Hem, hem_," as if she were preparing to make some kind of speech. Dumbledore graciously resumed his seat and waited to hear what his new member of staff had to say.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered in a voice reminiscent of a asthma-stricken little girl, " for those kinds words of welcome. Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

Ed glanced around; not a single student in his line of sight was smiling. Nevertheless, Umbridge went on, "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends."

Even from across the Hall, Ed could read George's lips as he whispered in his twin's ear, "That's likely."

Umbridge drawled on in that sickening voice, talking about how some traditions at Hogwarts should be encouraged, whereas others should be rejected. At last, she drew her speech to a close. "Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

This melodramatic display earned Umbridge only smatterings of scattered applause, mostly from a polite Dumbledore and staff. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher cast her girlish smile around the Hall once more. Eventually, her gaze landed on Edward, and a threatening leer momentarily showed through her thin veil of sweetness. Suddenly, Ed knew that she wasn't here just to teach, or even to reshape Hogwarts to the Ministry's liking; she was here to uncover the mystery behind his appearance in the Wizarding World. _A challenge, huh?_ he thought. _Sounds like fun_. Still looking each other directly in the eyes, a silent communication passed between Edward Elric and Dolores Umbridge. In that moment, the Senior Undersecretary and the Fullmetal Alchemist declared war.

* * *

A/N: 4' 11"… (I checked a different, more accurate profile) Wow, Ed… you've got some growing to do… He reaches 6' 1" by age 18 (the end of _Brotherhood_/the manga)… we'll see how it all works out…

Ed's wand is certainly not as powerful as the Elder Wand, but it might come close to Voldemort's and Harry's wands.

Yeah, Hohenheim! You conquered your fear and gave Ed some much-needed loving! Being such a hopeless romantic, Hohenheim seems the kind of father who would embrace his son (only Ed's rejection of him kept him from doing it any sooner). I don't think I overdid it – these kinds of familial-affection-displays aren't nearly as awkward in real life as we think they are (unless you're Edward Elric XD).

Ginny… you love to push your brother's buttons, don't you? Fear not, she doesn't have any kind of crush on Ed; she just wanted to annoy Ron by bringing it up.

A landau is a kind of open carriage (sort of like the ones seen in the _Order of the Phoenix_ movie). If you're curious, look it up on Wikipedia.

McGonagall is probably one of my favorite characters, and I definitely think she would inspire immediate respect in Edward.


	7. Blending In

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!

**anonymouse**: I found Ed's profile on the Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki, but now I'm using an even better one written by OBSESSIVE fans on deviantART.

**Breyania** **(Guest)**: I'm so glad that the majority response to Ed being in Ravenclaw is positive. I hope it will be exciting!

**DRAGON (Guest):** Um… I don't know why Ed would get a big check from Mustang… in relation to his state alchemist research grant, do you mean? I guess he could use it, but Fred and George have the Triwizard Tournament winnings that Harry gave them, so they're pretty well financed already. Oh, fear not; Draco will get what's coming to him… very soon.

MAJOR REALIZATIONS / EDITS TO PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: I found out that my previous information about Ed's height and DOB were based on the 2003 anime (blast!) Thankfully, I am now using as my resource a much better bio of Ed, which guesstimates that his birthday is around September 15, making him almost A YEAR older than Harry (pfff! That's funny) and clearly places his height at 4' 11" (go figure that I'd be right **before** looking at the wiki…) Thanks again for the reviews and words of encouragement. ^_^

And now, Ed must do his best to fit in with the Ravenclaws… but subtlety isn't exactly his strong suit… I am attempting to use some dialect writing in this chapter, so if something looks misspelled, it's probably on purpose for that reason. This chapter actually became so long that I cut it into two parts.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Blending In**

Rather than following Anthony Goldstein up to Ravenclaw Tower, Edward decided to hang back with Luna. She might give a slight impression of insanity, but at least she was a better option than Mr. "I-Think-You-Look-Like-A-First-Year." As they climbed the many staircases, Luna talked in an absent-minded voice about obscure creatures like "Crumple-Horned Snorkacks" and "Blibbering Humbdingers," all of which Ed seriously doubted actually existed. Eventually, they reached a wooden door that lacked a knob or any other kind of handle. Anthony, being at the head of the large group in front, approached the only decoration on the smooth door – a bronze doorknocker in the shape of an eagle. He rapped it lightly, and a silvery voice responded.

"From where do conjured objects appear?"

As Anthony answered the question, Ed whispered to Luna, "So, you have to go through a pop quiz to get inside?"

"It's only one question each time, but yes. If you get it wrong, you have to wait until someone who does know the answer comes along. It keeps us learning."

"Well, that seems really unfair to the Muggle-borns who don't know much about magic yet, let alone magical _riddles_."

The door swung inward, and the group of Ravenclaws poured into the wide, circular Common Room. Ed looked up at the domed ceiling where thousands of stars had been painted across a dark blue sky, matching the carpeted floors. The whole place felt airy and liberating (a sensation quite relieving to Ed), and it probably had a great view of the Hogwarts grounds during the daytime.

_Okay_, Ed thought, _this might not be so bad after all._

Just then, Ed felt a pair of eyes on him. As inconspicuously as he could, Ed found his watcher: a somewhat spindly boy with shoulder-length black hair covering the right half of his face, an analyzing gaze, and a thoroughly unsettling aura.

_What's his problem?_ wondered Ed. The creepy guy drew his attention so strongly that Ed nearly walked into Anthony Goldstein.

"Watch yourself, Elric," said the prefect a little too jovially. "I know the whole experience of 'first time in the Common Room' is practically overwhelming, but try to keep your head."

"Sorry," Ed mumbled.

Anthony narrowed his eyes in skepticism. "Are you _sure_ you're in fifth year?"

Ed fixed the tall blonde with a deadly serious glare. "Yes. I'm sure."

The Ravenclaw prefect nodded, obviously intimidated but striving to save face. "Well, in that case… Terry! Terry Boot! Yes, over here!"

Within seconds, a cheerful-faced, chestnut-haired boy about a head shorter than Anthony trotted up to the two blondes. "Wha'sup, Anthony?" He spoke with a thick accent, one Ed had recently learned to distinguish as Scottish.

"This is Edward Elric," introduced Anthony. "He's a… special case being moved into our year, so why don't you show him up to the dorm?"

"Sure!" beamed Terry, motioning for Ed to follow as he headed for one of two spiraling staircases leading upward. Ed climbed after him until he stepped into a round room with five four-poster beds, each one hung with deep blue curtains.

"Ah see they've already moved yer trunk up 'ere," observed Terry, pointing at Ed's suitcase laying at the end of one of the beds. "Guess tha' confirms what Anthony said before."

Ed nodded unconcernedly, walking over to his bed and fingering the material of the curtains. He didn't much like the way that color reminded him of an Amestrian military uniform; it made Hogwarts start to feel like a prison again.

"So, who else is in here?" Ed asked.

"Well, me, Anthony, Michael Corner… and then there's Kevin Entwhistle." He said the last boy's name with an emphasis that convinced Ed this Kevin kid wasn't very popular.

"Which ones are Michael and Kevin?"

"Kevin… well, you'll know 'im when you see 'im. He's… distinctive. As for Michael…" Terry paused as the door of the dormitory opened behind Ed. "Ah! Speak of the devil! Here's Michael now."

Ed turned, and there was the creepy guy who had been watching him only a few minutes ago. Neither boy said anything in greeting to the other as Michael walked past Ed toward Terry.

"Um, Ah'm just curious," continued Terry, returning his attention to Ed, "have ya any special talent in connection with yer intelligence?"

"Why do you ask? Is that common?"

"Oh, yeah, plenty enough, especially in _this_ dorm. Anthony's got an amazing memory; anything he's ever seen, read, or heard, he can remember perfectly."

"I've met someone like that before," said Ed, thinking of Sheska.

"Whereas my expertise lies more in the psychological realm. My mum's an 'ead shrink in the Muggle world, so it makes sense, Ah s'pose. Anyway, if ever ya need to break up a fight or arrange a date – things like that – ah'm the guy ya want to call. Ah just… _get_ people's heads, know what ah mean?"

Ed shrugged, not overly impressed. He wasn't interested in breaking up fights – he started them – and dates were the last thing on his mind right now. "And what about you?" he asked Michael. "What's your 'talent'?"

Terry looked at his dark friend and grinned. "Aw, it'd be so bland to just tell 'im. Why don't ya show 'im, Michael? C'mon..."

Michael's brown eyes focused once again on Edward, scanning him like probes. After nearly twenty seconds of this examination, he began speaking rapidly in a deep, almost cold voice.

"You haven't been a wizard for very long. Before that, you were in a Muggle military of some kind, but not as an official soldier; you had a position that forced you to travel, so much so that you haven't lived in a proper home in years. You're mistrustful, secretive, impertinent, and rebellious, not to mention plagued with messy habits and a flamboyant sense of taste. And, to top it all off… your right arm and left leg aren't flesh and blood, but metallic substitutions of a mechanical nature."

Edward stared at Michael with his mouth agape. "How… how could you figure all of that out?"

"Wait a second," interrupted Terry, who looked just as shocked as Ed felt, "ya mean everythin' Michael just said was _accurate_?"

"Every word, though I might debate with you about the sense of taste. Just, tell me how you did it."

"Simple," Michael explained. "I notice things, little details no one else does. They can tell me quite a lot about a person, as I just demonstrated. For example, I can tell you haven't been a wizard for long because of the way you look at common objects like moving paintings and the enchanted dinner plates in the Great Hall. Someone who'd been raised as a wizard would be familiar with these kinds of things. Next, there's the way you stand; when I entered the room, your feet slid a little wider and your shoulders straightened. You are probably unconscious to this fact because you are accustomed to standing at attention or a similar respectful posture around other people (implying a career in a Muggle military), but the ease with which you slipped back into a more relaxed stance told me that you weren't forced into these formalities often – only when you would occasionally report to headquarters. This theory of constant traveling was strengthened by the small size of your trunk; you've roamed around for so long that you've largely limited your belongings to necessities. As for my descriptions of your character, that can all be ascertained from the way you interact with other people. I won't bore you with all the details of the facial muscles, but you get the idea. Your messy habits I deduced from the haphazard way in which you've tucked in your shirt, as well as the sleeve of a bright red coat sticking out of your suitcase, which is also how I concluded that you have a flamboyant sense of taste (though the hairstyle was a helpful tipoff). Lastly, your right arm and left leg are infinitesimally stiffer than your other two limbs, but you don't walk with a conscious limp, so they couldn't just be injured. The fact that you're wearing gloves made it clear that you were trying to conceal the arm, and a quick flash of metal near your right collarbone told me all: mechanical prosthetics. Also, I heard a slight squeak of gears earlier, so you haven't oiled them recently - yet another indicator of your lack of tidiness."

He paused, tilting his head to the left. "Shall I go on?"

"No, no, that's quite enough," Ed assured him. "That's… impressive."

"On _both_ accounts, Ah'd say," grinned Terry. "Ya were _really_ some kind of soldier?"

"Yeah, sort of… I still am, to be honest, but my role is more that of a researcher."

"And yer arm and leg?"

Ed pushed up his right sleeve and held out his arm for the two boys' examination.

"Ah, I _wondered_ if steel was the major component of the plating, judging from the weight of your steps," said Michael.

"Wha's it… Ah dunno… _feel_ like?" asked Terry.

"Nothing much," Ed admitted. "The stumps hurt like hell when the weather's bad, but other than that… I mean, there aren't any pain or sense receptacles in the limbs, so I can't feel anything like that."

"Tha's pretty wicked, Ah must say. So… how'd it… how'd it 'appen?"

Ed drew in a tense breath, upon which Michael immediately commented, "He doesn't want to talk about it, Terry. Let's not push him. He's got a bad temper boiling under there."

Without further ado, Michael began to push Terry from the room ahead of himself. "We're going back down to the Common Room, but feel free to take a minute to acclimate yourself." After giving Terry a final shove of encouragement down the stairs, Michael leaned a little closer to Ed and whispered, "Kevin's hiding under his bed; the faint layer of dust's been disturbed all around it. He's terribly shy, but maybe meeting a new friend will do him some good."

Ed goggled. "Huh, what-"

"Just give it a try. Cheerio!"

Once Michael had shut the door, Ed cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at the bed which had been designated as Kevin's. He edged closer to it, choosing not to look under the bedskirt for fear of startling the boy. Instead, he hopped up onto his own bed adjacent to Kevin's and said, "Look, I know you're under there. This would be a lot simpler if you'd just come out on your own. You… um… you don't have to be _afraid_ of me or anything, despite all that stuff Corner just spouted."

The bedskirt lifted at a point, allowing Ed to see the faint glimmer of a pair of eyes in the darkness.

"He said you're shy," Ed continued. "Any particular reason for that?"

"…they laugh," said a small voice from under the bed. "People laugh and point at me - call me names."

Ed felt his brotherly instincts activate; that voice reminded him so much of Alphonse. "Well, I swear I wouldn't laugh. Now, will you _please_ come out from under there?"

The bedskirt dropped back to the floor, and – for a moment – Ed thought his efforts had been in vain. But then, he heard scuffling on the opposite side of the four-poster bed. A light brown hand grasped the blue covers, then another, and slowly, a head emerged – a head with white hair. Ed stared into the boy's face; the last time he had seen eyes so red, the owner of them had been about to kill him.

"You're Ishvalan," Ed breathed, barely louder than a whisper.

Kevin blinked at Ed in confusion a few times before answering, "Sorry?"

"It's plain as day; you're from Ishval, but '_how?_' is the real question."

"No, I mean, what's Ishval? What're you talking about?"

Now Ed was confused. How could this kid be so obviously Ishvalan and not know it? The young alchemist's brain began working at top-speed. Could it have been possible that, before Hohenheim erected the Fidelius Charm, a faction of Ishvalans had come to England and, being suddenly cut off from their home by his father's barrier, had stayed here for hundreds of years? _It would have to be a large enough group for the ethnic genes to have been preserved so thoroughly_, he reasoned, deciding to test this theory through further inquiry. "Kevin, at your home, are there more people who look like you?"

Despite being surprised by the question, the boy replied, "Yes, lots. I was so used to all of us being mixed together – light and dark – that I wasn't prepared for how things would be _here_. Um, why do you ask? Does this have something to do with 'the old country?'"

"'The old country?'" Ed echoed.

"Yes. The grandparents tell stories that were passed down for hundreds of years, about how our ancestors traveled here from someplace far away… but they couldn't remember where they came from once they'd gotten here. They've referred to it as 'the old country' ever since."

Kevin's words verified Ed's idea. Now, the dilemma was: should he tell Kevin the full truth? Would it do more good, or ill? After a deep breath, he made his decision.

"Well, you shouldn't care about what other people might say about how you look. You're from a strong, confident people; you should be proud of your heritage."

"You sound as if you know a lot about it."

"Believe me," Ed assured Kevin, indicating that the latter should take a seat, "I do."

* * *

Hours passed while the two boys talked. Ed did his best to succinctly explain about the countries of Ishval and Amestris while trying to leave out as much as he could about alchemy and its role in the Ishvalan War of Extermination. As he spoke, Kevin's eyes widened, and his shoulders straightened, as if Ed was willing confidence into him. Now that Kevin was comfortable, he opened up and forgot his timidity. He told Ed that when he had started demonstrating magic, his Muggle parents wanted him to master it as soon as possible, so he came to Hogwarts earlier than he might have otherwise. "Technically, I'm young enough to be in the year behind," he said, "but Professor Dumbledore gave me permission, and I've been able to keep up with all the work, so that hasn't been much of a problem." As a Muggle-born, he was already prone to being ostracized, and his ethnicity only made him more of a target for the pureblood bullies. Hiding had been his easiest way to cope up to this point. "But, if my people are as strong as you say," he decided, "then I should try harder to represent them, to be proud of my heritage, like you said."

Grinning, Ed was struck again by Kevin's resemblance to Alphonse. This kid needed a big brother, and Ed just so happened to be available at the moment. "Well, don't you worry about those pureblood jerks; if they try to give you a hard time, they'll have to go through me."

Kevin blushed a little. "You don't have to do that for me…"

"I want to! That's what friends do: look out for each other."

The younger boy's face lit up with joy, and Ed couldn't help but feel a little heart-warmed himself. It had obviously been far too long since this kid had a proper friend.

At that moment, they both heard steps on the staircase leading to the dorms. Kevin immediately moved to conceal himself again, but Ed entreated, "Hey, you don't have to hide from _those_ three, surely. They're not scary… okay, well maybe _Corner_ is, but _still_."

And so, when the trio of Ravenclaw fifth-years entered the room, they found their two dormmates waiting.

"Oh, hullo, Kevin!" said Terry in a sincerely kind tone (much to Ed's relief). "I see you've met Ed."

_Oh, so we're suddenly on first-name terms, are we?_ the prideful part of Ed's brain growled, but his better reason overruled this small resentment. "Yep," he said aloud.

"Well," Anthony proclaimed with all the authority of a prefect, "we'd best be getting to bed, what with classes starting tomorrow."

The others complied with little grumbling, each one worn out from the long day. As they tugged off their robes, Ed could feel Michael's eyes on him again.

"What is it this time? Are you trying to figure out what model of screws are keeping the port attached to my shoulder or something?"

"Merely observing," Michael replied emotionlessly. "It truly is a remarkable piece of Muggle machinery."

"M… my dad works with machines in a factory," Kevin piped up, doing his best not to stutter around the other boys. "He taught me loads before I came here, and more during the summers. So, um…" he paused, looking at Ed, "If it stops working right or something, I can take a look."

Ed gave the younger boy a brief smile and nodded, tossing the black robe into his trunk and trying to ignore Michael's self-satisfied smirk that clearly said, "See? Messy habits."

Eventually, all five lay in their beds and the room darkened. As relatively easy as meeting his fellow Ravenclaws had been, Edward had a gut feeling that the rest of his life at Hogwarts wouldn't follow suit.

* * *

Ed woke first the next morning, having dozed fitfully in his new surroundings. In his brief moments of sleep, the demons of his past had hovered over him: his mother, Al, Nina… Once he crawled out of bed, he picked up his robes, raising an eyebrow when he noticed that the inside lining had somehow turned Ravenclaw blue. _Magic robes for a magic school,_ he supposed. He also saw what looked like a school uniform siting on top of his trunk. Ed hated uniforms; they felt so martial. On the other hand, the Hogwarts one wasn't nearly as bad as that of the Amestrian military; laying out the clothes on his bed, Ed found a white button-down shirt, a blue-and-bronze striped tie, and a dark grey V-neck sweater with matching socks and pants. Ed set his jaw as he examined the uniform, feeling decisively rebellious. In the end, he went half-and-half, exchanging his dark blue tank top for the button-down, sweater, and tie, but firmly refusing to part with his leather pants and boots. After fastening his thick brown belt and pulling on his robes over the whole outfit, Ed stealthily snuck out of the dorm. When the young alchemist found the Common Room completely deserted, he wondered what time it was. The sun had fully risen, so it must have been close to seven.

"An early riser, are you?" whispered a faint, ethereal voice. Ed jumped slightly and turned to face the speaker. For a moment, he thought his senses were playing a serious joke on him; floating in front of him was the wispy form of a tall young woman with long hair and eyes that blazed with intelligence.

"Uh… yeah," Ed said rather lamely, "albeit an inconsistent one."

"I have not seen you here before."

"Well, I'm new."

"Obviously," said the lady, rolling her eyes.

"Um, excuse me?" Ed asked, looking back and forth between the woman and the marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, "Would you, by any chance, be related to her? You look a lot alike."

The lady's face filled with a combination of frustration, pain, and nostalgia. "Yes," she said coldly, "but it is not a subject on which I wish to speak."

"Oh, not a problem. I was just curious."

"Ed?" asked the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood. "Is that you down there?"

"Yeah," Ed replied before turning back to the pale lady. She eyed him with both skepticism and interest, as if she had watched thousands of Ravenclaws pass through Hogwarts, and had not yet been fully impressed by any of them.

"I believe we shall meet again, boy," she said shrewdly as she drifted toward the door marking the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. Within moments, she had glided straight through it and disappeared.

"Oh, that's who you were talking to," Luna realized as she descended the last step from the girls' staircase (at least, Ed assumed that side of the dormitories belonged solely to girls).

"And she was…?" encouraged Ed.

"The Grey Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower."

Ed's heart might have skipped a beat. _A ghost? I was just chatting with a ghost?_ "Oh," he said flatly.

"I like your shoes," complimented Luna distractedly.

"Uh, thanks. Listen, Luna, do you think the Great Hall will be serving breakfast yet?"

"It should; I saw a few people go down there already. But, you should take your schoolbag with you, in case you can't get back in the Tower."

"Oh, good idea. Thanks a lot, Luna."

As he headed back up the stairs, Luna called after him, "Don't feel badly if you can't sleep well here; I never can."

* * *

Having made sure he had everything he might need for the day, Ed retraced his steps to the Great Hall. As he entered the large room, he noticed how heavy the sky looked through the enchanted ceiling. _Great_, he groaned inwardly, _Now I'll have to deal with rain-induced automail pain. Just peachy_. Taking a seat on one of the long benches at the Ravenclaw table, Ed pulled a pan of quiche a little closer and scooped some onto his plate. It wasn't as good as Mrs. Hughes's, but it wasn't half-bad either. Moving on to some toast, Ed didn't notice the presence of two people behind him.

"Well, well, look who landed himself in Ravenclaw after all," said Fred, sliding onto the bench next to Ed, propping his elbows on the table, and cupping his chin in his hands.

"But, if you think about it, it makes sense," reasoned George, grabbing the spot on the other side of the small blonde. "There was that Ravenclaw kid who dropped out last year – Stephen Cornfoot, I think – so his spot was ripe for the taking."

"Cornfoot only left because _you_ got him infected with Dragon Pox."

"Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten. It was a mild case, though, nothing lethal."

"Anyway," continued Fred, grinning at Ed, "this could actually prove most beneficial. You could smuggle some of our products into Ravenclaw Tower for testing."

The edge of Ed's mouth twitched in interest. "Sounds good, but you don't need me to get in. Anyone clever enough to answer riddles can do it."

"Really?" asked George excitedly. "We'll have to put that to the test, won't we, Fred?"

"Indeed, George, a most splendid plan. _Oop!_ We'd best get back to our table; Flitwick's coming this way."

"Who?" Ed goggled.

"Professor Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw," George informed as he and his twin slunk away. "Catch ya later, Ed!"

Dumfounded, the young alchemist swiveled in his seat, searching for this Flitwick character. Only when the man was a few yards away did Ed finally locate him: an extremely small man with a full white beard, round glasses, and a merry twinkle in his eyes.

"There you are, Elric!" he greeted in a high-pitched voice that almost made Ed burst out laughing. "The Headmaster suggested I speak with you before you head off to your first class."

"I see, sir," Ed noted, suppressing his mirth. It felt so satisfying to talk to an adult who was smaller than he was.

"Just to verify," Flitwick squeaked cheerily, pulling out a sheet of parchment, "am I correct that you are only taking the required courses?"

"Yes, sir. I figured it was better not to load too much onto my plate."

"Hmm, quite," said Flitwick, tapping the paper with his wand and handing it to Ed, "Very well, then. Here is your schedule, and I will see you later today in class."

"Right. Thank you, sir." As Ed perused the parchment, he saw that Defense Against the Dark Arts would be his first class that day. _Entering a confrontation so quickly?_ he mused. _Not a bad move, Umbridge_.

"Ah, good morning, Entwhistle," greeted Professor Flitwick as he tottered back to the teacher's table.

"Hullo, Professor," Kevin responded briskly. He took the spot George had left, breathing heavily, as if he had run all the way from Ravenclaw Tower. "You got up early, Ed."

"I couldn't sleep much."

"Well, when you weren't there when the rest of us woke, Anthony suggested that you had been a figment of our collective imagination, or at least he hoped so."

"Oh, did he?" Of all his dormmates, Ed liked the prefect the _least_; the fellow seemed a bit too full of himself. Kevin looked over Ed's shoulder at the schedule. "So, DADA's the first class?"

"Seems like it."

"I dunno why, but Professor Umbridge gives me the creeps."

"Well, you're not alone there. But, there's nothing else to do; we'll just have to face the old hag."

"Shh!" Kevin urged, glancing around to make sure no one had heard Ed's blunt insult. "Careful, Ed. Say things like that within ear-shot of her, and you'll land yourself in all kinds of trouble."

"Pity," Ed sighed, standing and slinging his schoolbag over one shoulder, "I happen to enjoy finding trouble."

* * *

Within two minutes of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, Professor Umbridge made her teaching policies quite clear… and boring. Ed could already feel his eyelids drooping when she told everyone to "turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners,'" adding that there would be "no need to talk."

"No need to think is more like it," Ed muttered under his breath so that only Kevin in the seat next to him would hear. The young Ishvalan managed to stifle his snort of amusement just before Umbridge's eyes found him. She narrowed her gaze suspiciously, and then replastered that girlish grin on her face. Ed stared at page five without taking in any of it, his usual dedication to reading having conveniently deserted him. Eventually, Kevin nudged Ed's elbow to get his attention. Ed shrugged his shoulders uncomprehendingly, and Kevin nodded his head toward the front row, in which Michael Corner sat with his hand raised. After several minutes of an attempt to ignore this interruption, Umbridge smiled at him forcedly.

"Yes, dear?" she simpered.

"Well, Professor, I've read the textbook three times, and there was no mention of actually applying the theoretical knowledge to practical use. Your course aims on the board support this theory. The O.W.L for this course entails a physical section, so why would we not devote any time to reviewing those skills in class?"

Suddenly, Ed felt much more inclined to pay attention. He should have figured Michael would question Umbridge's mindless orders, being such a committed analyst and investigator. The toady face of their professor twitched in concealed annoyance, but she had her answer ready.

"You make a plausible point, Mr.…"

"Corner, ma'am."

"Mr. Corner, but the ministry has examined this curriculum carefully and assessed that it is sufficient to get you through your exams."

A girl with olive skin and dark hair raised her hand. When Umbridge faced her, the girl asked, "So, we're really not going to use any magic?"

Umbridge gave a tinkling giggle, like a songbird with the flu. "I don't see why you would _need_ to use any spells in my classroom, Miss…"

"Padma Patil," the girl filled in.

Michael visibly rolled his head, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in what may have been disappointment at best, disgust at worst. "But, then, how will we defend ourselves?" he demanded.

"Against whom?" Umbridge chortled. "Who do you think is going to attack students like yourselves?" For a moment, her question went unanswered. Then, a triumphant grin spread across her wide, flat face, as if a particularly juicy fly had just presented itself for her toady dinner.

"Yes, Mr. Elric?"

Ed lowered his hand and fixed Umbridge with a smug smirk of his own. "What about the homicidal maniacs running around the country, or has the Ministry already forgotten that the Death Eaters openly attacked the Quidditch World Cup last summer?"

The professor's nostrils flared, but she otherwise maintained her calm demeanor. "If you are referring to that _ludicrous_ rumor that a certain Dark Wizard has-"

"I didn't say anything about Voldemort, Professor. I merely stated the recorded fact that his followers struck out at a public event and escaped scot-free."

He had definitely touched on a nerve. It was obviously taking Umbridge a great deal of self-discipline not to lunge at Ed and strangle him on contact. After a tense pause, she half-growled through her grimace, "The Ministry has devoted its best Aurors to tracking down these criminals; there is no need for children of your age or experience to become involved with such matters. Your minds should remain focused on studying for your exams, which is what I suggest you all return to right now."

"But-" Michael began.

"No more questions," said Umbridge sweetly, even though her wide eyes suggested a much more threatening tone. No one challenged her, and the class slowly settled back into its lethargic reading of _Defensive Magical Theory_.

* * *

"My, my, ya like to dance pretty close to the fire, don't ya, Ed?" asked Terry as soon as the Ravenclaws had left Umbridge's classroom.

"I couldn't just sit there silently while she treated us like preschoolers!" countered Ed. "You should just be grateful that I didn't push things _further_."

"But, Terry has a point," Kevin huffed as he tried to keep pace with Ed. "Umbridge obviously has something personal against you, Ed – you can see it in the way she looks at you."

"I've dealt with worse," the small blonde shrugged.

Ed's classes for the rest of that day were uneventful, but stimulating nonetheless. Despite his overall dislike for his current situation, he still found a way to enjoy the learning experience. When evening came, he worked through some of the day's homework (the assignments seemed almost _too_ easy next to cracking Marcoh's alchemical encryptions), then went straight to bed long before any of his dormmates turned in.

After Tuesday, Ed's determination to persevere began to falter. How could anyone stand being cooped up in one building like this for an entire school year? Having been so accustomed to roaming around the Amestrian countryside, he had barely survived two months at Grimmauld Place: how could he possibly last here through nine or ten?

On Wednesday, an interesting development surfaced. During the final class for the day, the fifth-year Ravenclaws shared a double Potions Class with the Hufflepuffs. Ed had only caught glimpses of Severus Snape at Order meetings and meals in the Great Hall, but everything he had heard from his friends about the guy had been negative, so he didn't expect much. As each student prepared his or her own cauldron of The Draught of Peace, Ed watched the professor out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, Michael," he whispered at a point when Snape had his back turned. "What do you make of Snape?"

"He's antisocial, but brilliant," replied the analyst without even looking up. "He had some history as a Death Eater, of course, but his loyalties lie with Dumbledore now; that much is clear. People who assume he's still evil are simply wrong. I won't bother explaining my reasoning in detail, so you'll just have to take my word for it."

Realizing that this was all the information he was going to get, Ed returned to his potion. Near the end of class, Snape examined each student's concoction. He frowned at many of the Hufflepuff's efforts, and even some of the Ravenclaw's brews seemed below his expectations. When he looked at Ed's, however, he raised an eyebrow. For a moment, Ed wondered what he'd done wrong; he'd followed every single instruction to the letter, and chemistry was supposed to be his forte.

Snape leaned over the small blonde and spoke quietly, barely moving his lips, "Elric, you didn't… 'transmute' this, did you?"

"No, sir. I just have a lot of experience mixing things together."

The greasy-haired professor narrowed his eyes as he rose again to his full height. Then, almost imperceptibly, the corner of Snape's mouth twitched upward. Once he had glided back toward his desk, Michael murmured to Ed, "I think you just made Hogwarts history. Professor Snape has _never_ smiled at a student before."

"_That_ was a smile?" Ed asked incredulously. Nevertheless, he felt rather proud of himself; maybe Snape wasn't as much of a slimy git as he let on.

The upcoming Quidditch tryouts were the popular topic in the Common Room that evening. It made studying practically impossible, so Ed eventually decided to join in the conversation, "Why is this such a big deal? It's just a sport."

Immediately, several people began long, passionate speeches about the vital importance of Quidditch in Hogwarts school life; Terry Boot was one of these proponents.

"It binds the houses together in sportsmanship," he proclaimed dramatically, exercising every ounce of his charismatic talents. "Without it, how else would we exhibit our inter-house competitive spirit?"

"To be honest," Michael commented to Ed, "you'd probably make a nearly-unstoppable Beater."

"I have no interest in the _slightest_ in trying out-"

"No, yer right, Michael!" cried Terry, seizing his chance. "Try out, Ed, come on!"

"I will not," replied Ed determinedly. "The whole idea of brooms… and… flying… It's completely unnatural."

"What do you mean?" Terry asked. "Muggles do it all the time in their airplanes."

Ed _barely_ stopped himself from saying, "Their _what_?" Instead, he shook his head stubbornly. "I won't do it."

"I'll write that essay on moonstones for you," Michael offered. "I can mimic your handwriting and reasoning patterns, so Snape will never know the difference."

"Okay, first of all: the idea that you can imitate my thought patterns is _scary_, and second: is that really the best incentive you can come up with?"

"I thought it best to start with a low offer in case you accepted it, but I will gladly raise the stakes."

Ed sighed. "You guys really want me to try out for this thing, don't you?"

Terry and Michael nodded vigorously. Ed grinned in spite of himself; if these two were going to all but force him into this ordeal, he was at least going to make them work for it.

"Do you know Fred and George Weasley?"

"Only by reputation," Terry admitted.

"Well, you're going to start smuggling their joke products in here."

"Is _that_ your price?" Michael asked, a little disappointed.

"It seems like an equivalent exchange for one evening of flying on a broomstick to _me_."

The two Ravenclaws traded glances, then nodded in unison. "All right," Terry yielded. "We'll do it."

"Then it's a deal," Ed concluded. "Oh, but there is one thing… how exactly do you play this Quidditch game?"

* * *

Friday arrived as wet as the entire week had been before it. Terry and Michael's crash course in Quidditch would hardly have been deemed acceptable by normal standards, especially when the great analyst boiled Ed's task down to: "Just stay on your broom and whack the Bludgers at as many of the opposing team as possible. Between your automail arm and your understanding of Muggle physics, it should be easy."

Students from all four houses came to watch the tryouts, but Harry wasn't among them, much to Ed's surprise. _Didn't he say he was a Seeker for Gryffindor?_ Then, Ed remembered the shouting match Harry had gotten into with the captain of his team on Tuesday, something about Harry landing himself in Detention with Umbridge. Pushing the thought out of his mind for now, Ed lurked in the shadows until the Ravenclaw team's turn came, and even then, Michael and Terry had to give him an encouraging shove onto the field. Ed could hear Fred and George whooping overenthusiastically from the top of the stands, and he made a mental note to jinx them later.

Suffice it to say that Edward Elric was never meant to fly. Only by keeping up a kind of mental pep talk could the small blonde keep himself from keeling over with nausea. Nevertheless, once the Bludgers were set loose, Ed let himself have some fun. When the captain of the team, Roger Davies, finally called everyone back to the ground, Ed felt quite satisfied that he'd left a trail of unconscious students littered across the field of battle.

"Happy now?" he called up to Michael and Terry, who were both grinning (well, Michael was doing his best impression of that facial expression which human beings call "grinning" – it looked more like he was trying to crush something between his teeth).

Roger Davies gaped at the small blonde in what might have been awe. "You're in," he said, breathing a little heavily from the exertion of the tryouts. "You're definitely in."

"Thanks," Ed replied, "but no thanks. I was only here because of a bet of sorts."

And so, he left the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain standing there in utter shock at his blatant refusal.

"What?" Ed demanded of Terry and Michael, who looked equally crestfallen. "I promised I'd try out. I never said anything about actually joining the team if they picked me."

"I had deduced you were devious, but now…" Michael sighed. "I will never again underestimate the depths to which you will sink."

"Hey, take it easy," Ed laughed. "I'm not _that_ downright nefarious, just a little… mischievous."

As if on queue, the Weasley twins appeared on either side of Ed and tackled him. "There's our little protégé!" cried Fred.

"Watch who you're calling 'little'," Ed warned.

"You were brilliant!" continued George. "That one shot where you ricocheted the Bludger off of three people in a row – that was living poetry!"

"Like shooting fish in a barrel!" Fred agreed.

"All right, all ready," Ed insisted, extricating himself from the twins' hair-ruffling and back-thumping. "It was a one-time deal, so don't expect me to try flying again… ever."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," George cautioned. "Now, who are these two? Friends of yours? Potential coconspirators?"

"Both," Ed confirmed. "This is Terry Boot, and that's Michael Corner. Guys, these are the Weasley twins."

Michael took one glance at the pair of redheads and pointed at each of them in turn. "You're Fred and you're George."

The twins blinked in surprise. "You could tell that after one look?"

Ed shrugged. "He's just gifted that way. Now," he added, rubbing his hands together, "Fred, George, there's a little business venture that these two have decided to help us with."

"Indeed?" the duo asked. "_Do_ tell."

* * *

Overall, Ed considered his first week of school to have been a rousing success: he had avoided Umbridge's outright wrath, gained Snape's approval, and conned two of his dormmates into spreading rebellion in candy form. As he turned down the blue covers of his four-poster bed that night, Ed gave Kevin a blow-by-blow recounting of his Quidditch tryout, since the young Ishvalan had been too nervous to attend it in person.

"They'll be all right, though, won't they?" Kevin asked worriedly. "The people you knocked out?"

"Oh, I'm sure. They've got the whole weekend to recover, and if the nurse here is as impressive as I've heard, they should fine in time for classes on Monday." Ed clambered over to the lumpy mass of pillows and sank into them headfirst.

"Are you going to sleep early again?"

"Yeah," came Ed's muffled voice. "I figure I should grab as large of a time-chunk as possible so I can actually get enough sleep."

"Well, I should tell you, when the others come in, Michael starts trying to figure out what you're dreaming about by watching you sleep."

"That guy can't get much creepier, can he?" Ed moaned as he rolled onto his left side. "Out of curiosity, how's he done with that?"

"He seems to understand it well enough, but he won't tell us. He says it's a bother to try describing something that terrible."

Ed said nothing in response to this pronouncement, but rather pulled the sheets over his head and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to overtake him. He heard Kevin murmur a "Good night," before turning off the lights and tiptoeing from the room. Ed lay awake in the darkness for a long time, unaware of just how complicated his life would soon become.

* * *

A/N: FORESHADOWING! Dun-dun-DUUUUUUUUN!

I might mix in some "common" Muggle riddles for the Ravenclaw doorknocker. Based on Rowena Ravenclaw's reasoning behind the whole idea, I don't think she would look down on Muggle riddles. After all, wizards wouldn't necessarily know the answers any more easily. I am trying to come up with magic-based riddles, but it's hardly a picnic. The one near the beginning of the chapter is basically a reverse of "Where do vanished objects go?" from the seventh book.

I know I'm exercising freedom in the development of Ed's dormmates (especially Kevin), but this is a fanfiction after all, and I wanted each of these minor characters from the books to be interesting. And, yes, Kevin Entwhistle is an actual character, but he's only mentioned through **Pottermore**, and even then, it's just his name and the fact that he was in the same year as Harry. So, I decided, "Let's put a spin on this little guy!" Anthony is a bit of a stuck-up rule-addict, but he makes a good contrast to Edward the rebel. Terry's accent is a nuisance to put into written dialect, but it's fun as well. As for Michael… _Sherlock_, anyone? It just went so well with his reputation for being the "slightly creepy boy".

I decided to run with the movie designs for the school uniforms (they're so cool-looking!)

Stephen Cornfoot was the other Ravenclaw boy of Harry's year mentioned in J.K. Rowling's notes, so I decided to give him an honorable mention.

Ed would have researched the current events of the past few years to add to the plausibility of his cover, so that's how he knew about the Quidditch World Cup attack.

Speaking of Quidditch, my little brother desperately loved the idea of Ed as a Beater, so I fit it in the tryouts to add some light-hearted content to this chapter. I think it's funny for Ed to have airsickness (or just plain Wizard-travelsickness).


	8. The Letter and the Duel

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Now that so much exposition and description are out of the way, we can move on to bigger and better things, namely: PLOT!

I'm sorry that this chapter took longer to get up. I was volunteering at a local VBS, so my time was limited (RL must take priority, after all).

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**The Letter and the Duel**

Edward sat bolt upright in bed, gasping on shallow breaths. He couldn't shake off the vivid images of the nightmare from which he'd just emerged, in which Envy had slowly carved out his heart for a sacrifice. Doing his best not to wake the others, Ed grabbed his clothes and crept outside Ravenclaw Tower to the boys' bathroom. He stepped into one of the shower stalls and turned on the water, not caring that the stream was cold. The downpour did little to clear his head or wash away his anxiety, but the time alone gave him a chance to remember something important. Hohenheim had said Al would send him a letter soon; how much longer would Ed have to wait for it? At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to read words his little brother had written, to see proof that Al was alive and safe.

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Ed emerged from the bathroom. On autopilot, he walked back to Ravenclaw Tower, but came to an abrupt halt when the doorknocker asked, "Where do vanished objects go?"

Feeling quite bitter toward everything magical – everything that separated him from Alphonse – Ed's scientific mind revolted. "Nowhere!" he snapped. "You can't just make stuff vanish; it's against the law of Equivalent Exchange!"

After a pause, the silvery voice instructed, "I don't think you understand the concept. Sorry."

Ed kicked the door with his automail leg before storming back down the hallway. "Stupid riddle," he growled under his breath. "Like I always say: 'If you can't find a door, make your own.'"

Upon locating a window, Ed pushed it open and clambered out onto the stone ledge beyond. He could tell from the outside where his dorm was, so he clapped his hands, touched the outer wall of the castle, and formed a narrow walkway leading to his destination. Slipping in through one of the dorm windows, Ed picked up his schoolbag and, having little else to do, traipsed down to the deserted Common Room and finished the rest of the week's homework. Eventually, the other Ravenclaws stirred, including all four of Ed's dormmates.

"Why do _you_ always wake up first?" Anthony asked a little indignantly, as if it was a prefect's right to be the earliest riser.

"Can't sleep," Ed replied bluntly.

"Understandable," said Michael.

"Well, shall we go and get breakfast, then?" suggested Terry.

Surprisingly, Ed didn't feel very hungry; the idea of Envy gutting him was too fresh in his mind to make food a temptation. But, with plenty of coaxing – largely on Kevin's part – he tagged along to the Great Hall. While everyone around him heaped food onto their plates, Ed picked at a lone fried egg without taking a single bite.

"Wha's up with him?" Terry asked in Michael's general direction while pointing his fork at Ed.

"Don't ask," came the analyst's dispassionate reply.

Just then, the screeching cries of dozens of owls echoed throughout the rafters of the Great Hall as the day's mail arrived. Ed felt the wind pressure of wings flapping as one of the birds landed in the center of the fifth-year Ravenclaws, but only when Kevin noted, "Uh, Ed? I think it's for you," did the small blonde look up.

The owl in question clutched an envelope in its beak, offering it to Ed. As soon as he took the parcel, the bird hurled itself back into the air and vanished amidst the throng of feathered creatures. Ed's eyes traced over the few lines written on the outside of the envelope: _To Edward Elric at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, From Alphonse Elric._ He eagerly pulled out the letter within, tossing aside the now-empty envelope, which Michael picked up with interest.

"Who's it from?" Terry inquired.

Before Ed could respond, Michael beat him to it. "Well, judging by the state of the handwriting, stationary, and form of address, I'd say it's your little brother, who's an ambidextrous Muggle, and who has recently injured his right hand."

"And you're going to explain in-depth, as usual," Anthony groaned, obviously not as impressed by Michael's investigative talents as Terry was.

"The fact that this letter was sent in an envelope (rather than a simple roll of parchment) and addressed to the formal name of the school suggests that a Muggle wrote it. The handwriting is distinctively male, and the sloppiness implies two things: one, that the writer is younger than Edward (the shared last name narrowing that down to the strong likelihood of a little brother), and two: that the writer is using his less dominant hand (in this case, his left) to compose this letter – you can tell by the smudging here. The several sheets of parchment within convey a lengthy letter, so it makes little sense for the writer to use his left hand unless his right has been injured in some way that prevents him from writing with it. So, as you can see…"

Ed wasn't listening anymore; he had already begun to read the long-expected letter. Al had written it in a code the brothers had developed many years ago, one Ed remembered well.

_September 5, 1915 (by the Amestrian Calendar, at least)_

_ Dear Ed,_

_I know you must be getting impatient, but bear with me as I try to explain everything that has happened in the past few weeks. I suppose I should start with Dublith. I told Teacher everything that happened, and even though she was furious at first, I managed to survive. Plus, I found out why Teacher doesn't need a circle for alchemy. It was a terribly sad story: years ago, she was going to have a baby, but when it was stillborn, and she tried to bring it back to life with alchemy… Human Transmutation._

_Well, not long after we arrived in Dublith… don't be mad at me, Brother, but I was abducted (before you freak out, I'm fine). The people who kidnapped me were human chimeras, believe it or not, led by one of the Homunculi. His name was Greed (building on Dad's theory that they're named after the Seven Deadly Sins), and he told me that he was interested in what he called my "immortal body" and how he could get one for himself. It's not like I know how you bonded my soul to this armor, so Greed was going to take me apart to find out. Thankfully, Dad had noticed that I was missing and traced the chimeras to Greed's hideout. He tried to convince Greed to join our side against the Homunculi (since Greed made it clear he wasn't working with them). I didn't see the whole conversation because Greed's minions took me down to the sewers beneath their lair, but, apparently Teacher showed up and… well, Dad tried to talk Teacher out of fighting Greed and it didn't work. Then, as if things couldn't get any more complicated, the military arrived and slaughtered Greed's entire gang. The Fuhrer himself was there – he's the one who got to me first – but… Ed, there's something important. When Fuhrer Bradley was fighting Greed near where I was tied up, his eye patch slipped off, and for a moment I saw… I saw the Ouroboros Tattoo on his left eye. Could the leader of Amestris really be a Homunculus? I know it sounds crazy, but I can't deny the possibility either._

_There is some good news, though. I got all my memories back of what happened in the Portal, of the Truth. I can even transmute without a circle now (although I don't mean to steal your thunder, Brother)._

_After Dublith, Dad and I went back Central; Dad says using too much magic in the Muggle world – which would include Amestris – isn't a good idea, so we took a train. One of our stops was at a city called Rush Valley. I think I'd heard Winry mention it before, but I'm sure she would love it there. There are automail shops and mechanics everywhere! But, I'm getting off-track. Our train had to refuel at Rush Valley, so Dad and I walked around a little. That's where Ling came into the picture. He's a prince from Xing – the country across the desert – and he came to Amestris in order to find the secret to immortality. He has these two bodyguards named Foo and Lan-Fan, and they're quite impressive, I must admit. Anyway, Ling wanted to know about the Philosopher's Stone, but Dad and I both told him that a search for the Stone wouldn't end happily, so he's let it drop for the time being. But, as payback for our withholding information, Ling and his bodyguards followed Dad and me back to Central. About Ling, he eats more than you do (which is saying something) and is rather melodramatic, but he is nice and helpful most of the time._

_In any case, once we had reached Central, things got really complicated. Lieutenant Ross was charged with the murder of… well, with murder. I knew she couldn't have done something so terrible, and so did Colonel Mustang (yes, he knows about the Stone and what we found in the Fifth Laboratory). With the help of Ling and Barry the Chopper (long story, just take my word for it), the Colonel helped her fake her death and get out of the country. Dad and Mr. Foo are escorting her to Xing, but Dad told me he was going to see you off to Hogwarts – I hope that went well. Xing's a long way from here, so I don't expect Dad back for another week, at least._

_The Colonel had another motive for getting Barry's help: he hoped to lure the Homunculi out of hiding. Well, it worked today. I won't go into all of the details, but the first Homunculus to show up tried to eat Lieutenant Hawkeye – he would have, too, if the Colonel hadn't saved her. Eventually, we followed the trail to the basement of the Third Laboratory, where we split up. Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Havoc went one way, and I stayed with Lieutenant Hawkeye and Barry as we searched the other way. The Colonel and Havoc encountered another Homunculus, the woman you saw at the Fifth Laboratory. From what I heard, she had been trying to get information out of Havoc under the alias of Solaris, but my guess is that her real name is Lust. Anyway, she hurt both of them pretty badly and left them to die. When she found the group I was with, she sliced up Barry in an instant and told Lieutenant Hawkeye that she'd killed the Colonel. I… I've never seen Miss Riza like that before… it was scary. I tried to protect her from Solaris (or Lust, whichever), but I got several gashes in the process (nothing too close to my blood seal, though). Lust told me that I was a perfect candidate for a sacrifice when she saw that I could transmute without a circle, but she was willing to kill me anyway. I don't know how much longer I could have held out against her, but, thankfully, Colonel Mustang came to our aid. He had seared his wound closed (and Havoc's too) so he could keep fighting. I made a barrier so that Lieutenant Hawkeye and I would be safe from the Colonel's attacks, and he immediately began burning her over and over. The thought of her screams still gives me the creeps. After what felt like a long time, something strange happened. The screams stopped, and Miss Riza and I both heard a loud thud and lots of footsteps. When we emerged from behind my barrier, we found Fuhrer Bradley standing over Colonel Mustang, who lay unconscious on the floor, and several dozen soldiers coming into the room. The Fuhrer told us that the Colonel had successfully destroyed the enemy, but had passed out from the strain of his wounds. The thing is… I didn't – I don't – believe a word of it. I think Fuhrer Bradley knocked Colonel Mustang out before he could kill Lust, letting her get away, but I couldn't just accuse him of something like that in front of all those troops!_

_Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Havoc were both taken to the hospital immediately, but I'm worried – Havoc looked seriously injured. When I got back to the hotel where I've let Ling stay, my right arm fell off because Lust had cut it up so badly… so I'm writing this with my left hand (sorry if it's smudged in a few places). I wanted to write all of this down while the latest developments were fresh in my mind, even if it is almost midnight here. It's not like I can get tired…_

_Well, I think I've brought you up to speed on everything now, but there are two important things I need to add on at the end. Firstly, Dad sent me a note by owl from Xerxes saying he'd run into a group of Ishvalans there, and that they had told him about the man… who killed Winry's parents. They said he was an Ishvalan the Rockbells had treated in their army clinic, with a tattoo all over his right arm. I haven't told Winry about this, and I don't plan to… it'd just make her cry, and neither you nor I want that, but I thought you should know. Secondly, I have to tell you… that Lieutenant Colonel Hughes... is dead. It was his murder that Lieutenant Ross was framed for, but we're almost 100% sure that the Homunculi are the real culprits. We think he was onto something important about the Stone and Amestris (maybe the nationwide transmutation circle Dad told us about?), but, whatever it was, it was secret enough that the Homunculi wouldn't let him live to tell anyone else about it. From what Colonel Mustang told me, the military gave Mr. Hughes an honorary promotion to Brigadier General. I… I feel awful, Brother. He was trying to help us find answers, and he died because of it. But, Ms. Gracia told me that General Hughes would want us to keep going on our journey to get our bodies back; otherwise, his sacrifice would be meaningless. What she said, it's held me together, but… I wish you could be here, Ed. I miss you so much._

_Which reminds me, that special day is coming up soon. I know you don't like presents, but it'll be the first one you've had without me, so… you just might have to let me get something for you. I hope you're doing well at Hogwarts. Write back as soon as you get the chance, okay?_

_Your devoted brother, Al_

Ed set the letter down on the table, his mind in a daze. Out of all the information Al had just thrown at him from a million miles away, one phrase rang out clearly:_ Lieutenant Colonel Hughes... is dead._ Ed looked up at the ceiling and saw a massive storm cloud drifting across the previously sunny sky.

"Wha's the matter?" Terry asked, trying to read Ed's shocked expression.

"Nothing," Ed responded automatically, getting to his feet. "I'm going outside."

"But it's about to rain again, from the looks of it," Anthony argued," Surely-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Ed snapped, walking briskly from the hall.

After the sound of his footsteps had receded, the other four Ravenclaw fifth-years formed a quick huddle.

"What was all that about?" Anthony demanded.

"He looked awful," Kevin commented.

"Should we go aftah' 'him?" Terry suggested.

Michael said nothing, but reached across the table and snatched up the letter Ed had left.

"What are you doing?" asked Kevin. "You can't just read Ed's mail like that!"

"He's much more distressed than he let on," Michael explained. "If this matter endangers his well-being, it is our duty as his friends to help him in any way we can."

"Oh, so we're his friends now?" Anthony inquired, as if he doubted this claim.

Michael didn't respond, as his attention was now devoted entirely to the encrypted letter. He read it once, twice, thrice. On the fourth perusal, he started to mouth words. By the fifth read-through, he had the general basis of the code cracked, but only after the sixth examination did he feel certain of its true contents. By this time, a severe rainstorm had begun dumping gallons of water outside.

"Well?" asked Terry expectantly, watching Michael's every move with interest.

"All right, _now_ someone should go after him," said the analyst.

"I'll do it," Kevin volunteered, scrambling off of the bench and dashing in the direction Ed had left more than fifteen minutes ago.

"So, what's the big problem?" said Anthony, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Why is it so important to fetch him back?"

Michael narrowed his eyes, mulling over the words _transmutation_, _Homunculus_, _Amestris_, _Philosopher's Stone_, and _alchemy_. "Edward has quite a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

It had already started raining by the time Ed reached the Grounds. The heavy downpour had ushered everyone else back under the shelter of the school's ramparts, but the small blonde walked undaunted through the sheets of rain until he stood on the far side of the Black Lake. When he was sure that no one was nearby, his legs finally gave way. He fell to his knees in the mud, leaned his head as far back as his neck would allow, and screamed at the sky.

_How?_ his mind raged. _How could I have let this happen? Hughes is dead, and it's because I got him involved! It's all my fault!_

Not knowing how else to vent his pain and grief, Edward pummeled the wet, softened earth, yelling until his throat was hoarse. "Damn you, Moody! If you hadn't made me come to this stupid England, I could've been there! I could have saved him!" Ed squeezed fistfuls of soggy dirt, filled with regret and self-loathing. _Why do such terrible things keep happening to the people close to me? I must be cursed, damned – first Mom, then Al, Nina… now Hughes. How many more bodies will I leave behind me? How much more blood will stain my hands?_

"I'm sorry," he croaked, his voice and body shaking. "I'm so sorry, Hughes. You're dead… and I'm the one to blame. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" As his words devolved into anguished gasps, the young alchemist bent double, resting his head against his dirtied hands on the ground, as if, by shielding himself, he could prevent his disease of misfortune from hurting anyone else and block out any more news of those who had already been exposed too much, who would surely die because of him.

* * *

Kevin raced along the outer corridors, his eyes scanning the vast landscape of the Hogwarts Grounds. _Where did you go, Ed?_ he asked. However, he was so intent in his search that, when he paused to catch his breath, he didn't notice three boys approaching him.

"Well, well," drawled Draco Malfoy, "if it isn't the Mudblood _freak_."

Kevin whirled around to see the tall blonde and his two strongmen towering over him.

"M-m-m-m-m-Malfoy," he stuttered, taking a few steps backward, but striving to keep a braver face than usual.

"You've gotten bold, haven't you?" Malfoy snickered. "I thought I told you last year to clear out if you knew what was good for you."

"You… can't… tell me… what… to do," said Kevin with surprising calm, pacing his words so his voice wouldn't betray his fear.

The pale blonde laughed sinisterly. "Oh, can't I? It seems I'm going to have to put you in your place, you piece of filth."

Kevin backed away from the three boys, but ended up cornered. He looked into the Slytherins' faces with an expression in-between terror and defiance. _They don't know anything_, he told himself. _You're not a freak; you are an Ishvalan. Don't listen to anything they say. If you stay strong, they'll lose interest_.

"When I'm through with you," Malfoy sneered, "you'll wish you had taken my advice."

* * *

In his disconnected frame of mind, it took Edward several minutes to realize that someone was standing by his side, holding a patched umbrella over both of their heads.

"You look wet," said Luna Lovegood placidly. "It's easier to be wet when you're sad; that way, you can let the sky do the crying for you."

Edward stared up at Luna, assuming his usual tough-guy expression. "Who said I was sad?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious."

Breaking eye contact with the odd girl, Ed tried to wipe some of the mud off of his gloves, with little success. "I… I got some bad news; that's all."

"Someone's died, haven't they?"

Drawn back to her gaze by this question, Ed gaped, "How did you-"

"Easy," she cut in, squatting down next to Ed. "I know what that feels like, to lose someone. Was it a close friend?"

Ed nodded, his voice trapped in his throat.

"I see," said Luna solemnly. "When I was little, my Mum got hurt during an experiment of hers, and she died. It left me sad for a long time, but then… I realized something. She wouldn't want me to feel badly about her death forever; she'd want me to learn how to smile again and live a happy life." She left a pause here, making sure that she had Ed's full attention. "After all, we can't ever bring the dead back, and if we long for them too much, then we're as good as dead ourselves. It's far better to keep living, to carry their life and their love with you."

"But..." Ed protested, "what if their death was your fault? What if they died trying to help or protect you?"

Luna chewed on that for a moment, then delivered her answer, "Then I think it's even more important. If you give up, then their death, their sacrifice, wouldn't have meant much, would it? You owe it to them to make the most of the life they helped preserve."

Ed stared at her, awestruck. _I _owe_ it to them? _he thought. _Almost like… an equivalent exchange?_ Then, the importance of something Luna had said sunk in. "But Luna, Hogwarts is full of ghosts. How can it be impossible to bring the dead back?"

She pondered that question for a moment before replying, "Maybe you should ask a ghost."

As much as that prospect disturbed him, Ed nodded. "Fair enough. Where could I find the Grey Lady, so you think?"

"She likes the Astronomy Tower on rainy days like this. I expect she'd be there. Come on," offered Luna, standing and holding out her hand for his. "If you stay out here much longer, you're likely to get pneumonia, and that won't be a help to anyone."

Ed obligingly slipped his muddy hand into hers, and an odd, pleasant warmth crept down his arm. Trying not to blush, he let Luna lead him back toward the castle. As soon as they stepped under the protection of the outer corridors, Luna smiled and said, "We should probably get rid of all that mud. You want to make a good second impression."

Before Ed could answer, they both heard a yell. Ed knew that voice. "That'll have to wait," he told her before taking off in the direction of the cry. Within seconds, he rounded a corner and found what he sought. Three familiar boys in green Slytherin robes had trapped Kevin in a corner: one massive student was dumping the contents of a schoolbag onto the stone floor, while his look-alike held his victim at least a foot off of the ground by the collar. The third boy stood ceremoniously over the whole proceeding, throwing taunts, "What's the matter, Entwhistle? I thought you might like feeling tall for a change. If it's not enough, I could always levitate you up to the Astronomy Tower."

"You… you can't treat me like this!" Kevin shouted, his voice cracking in suppressed fear.

"But, I can," retorted the third boy, running a hand over his pale blonde hair. "I'm a Pureblood of noble family, practically Wizarding royalty, but you… you're just a Mudblood whelp who doesn't deserve to clean my shoes, let alone walk around this school like the rest of us. Why don't you just pack your bags and save all of us the trouble, you little-"

"MALFOY!" Ed thundered, charging toward the scene of the crime, fists clenched. "YOU GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Ed!" Kevin exclaimed in relief.

Turning, Draco Malfoy eyed Ed with confusion, then comprehension. "Ah, I remember you; you were on the train with Potter and his friends. I didn't catch your name then."

"It's Edward Elric."

"Well, then, Elric; you should just run along and mind your own business."

"Kevin's my friend! That makes this my business, and I have more than half a mind to throttle you right now, you self-righteous bastard!"

Malfoy was obviously not used to being insulted so bluntly; he opened his mouth a few times, but no sound came out.

Ed immediately pressed his advantage. "If you mess with _Kevin_, you mess with _me_, and you _don't_ want to mess with _me_, especially today. You caught me in a really... bad... mood."

"_Heh_, are you threatening me? Just how stupid are you? I'm a _prefect_."

"I don't give a damn what you call yourself! You're a bully, and someone needs to cut you down to size!"

"You're one to talk about size, _Small_ric," came Malfoy's retort.

Fire boiled in Ed's brain. _This punk is beyond asking for it_. Some straggling students had heard the commotion and were flocking around the scene, including a breathless Luna who had finally caught up.

"Something as stupid as 'blood status' is no excuse for tormenting another human being," insisted Edward.

"But next to us, Muggles shouldn't be considered humans, should they?"

"That's it!" Ed shouted, balling his fists. "Come on, right now."

The pale Slytherin raised an eyebrow. "So, you're _challenging_ me? _You_ want to duel _me_?"

"I want to fight you, yeah."

"What's _your_ blood status?" asked Malfoy, turning up his nose at Ed's dirt-covered robes. "In your current state, I'd have to assume you're another _Mud_blood."

"I happen to be a Half-blood, actually – not that it matters to me."

"And what would the conditions of this duel be?"

Ed had his answer ready, reckless as it was. "You can use whatever magic you want to - hex, jinx, curse, you name it – but I won't use _any_ magic."

Malfoy laughed uproariously. "You're serious? Do you have a death wish or something?"

"I just want to prove a point: that you Wizards shouldn't put so much stock in your power; performing a few hat tricks doesn't make you better than anyone else."

Grinning maliciously, Malfoy said, "All right, Elric. You're on. So, where shall we duel?"

"Right here," replied Ed, walking into an adjacent square courtyard open to the streaming sky, "or are you afraid of a little rain?"

Sensing the insult, Malfoy slipped out of his robe and tossed it to one of his cronies, commanding, "Here, Goyle, hold this for me. Crabbe, set Entwhistle back on his feet, but keep a good grip on him. I want him to watch his noble defender suffer utter defeat." Stepping out onto the rainy grass, he added to Edward, "When you lie beaten at my feet, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Funny," said Ed, "I was about to say something like that to you."

Some of the students who had gathered began to chant, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Ready when you are," offered the young alchemist.

Malfoy pointed his wand at Ed, but he didn't strike.

"Y'know," Ed mentioned, seeing that Malfoy needed an extra nudge, "I heard from Harry that your father's a Death Eater; I suppose _that's_ the reason you're such a pathetic slimeball."

Just as Ed had expected, Malfoy snapped. "_Impedimenta!_"

Ed barely ducked in time, but he had a solid tactic now. Something Mustang had told him echoed in his head: _"If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him, and never fall for an enemy's taunts."_

_Well, Colonel,_ Ed mused, _it seems that something _useful_ came out of your big mouth, for once_.

"A jinx?" he asked Malfoy, adding a tone of disappointment to his voice. "Really? Is that all you can manage?"

"_Confringo!_"

Getting the reaction he had anticipated, Ed kept his senses on full alert as Malfoy sent several more attacks his way. He had a few close calls with various jets of bright light, but it was obvious that the Slytherin prefect was unaccustomed to dealing with a moving target. Ed snaked his way across the soggy courtyard, studying his opponent's movements, waiting for the right moment. Malfoy raised his arm to deliver another spell, and Ed, seeing his opportunity, struck. He brought the palm of his left hand up swiftly against Malfoy's right wrist as it swung down in a wand movement, nearly whacking the wand out of the Slytherin's grasp and unsettling his balance. Ed then knocked one of Malfoy's legs out from under him, successfully forcing his opponent into the mud. Not hesitating for an instant, Ed leapt upon his enemy, pinning him with his legs. The small blonde drew back his left hand in a fist and socked Malfoy squarely in the nose. The sound of snapping cartilage was a symphony; the sight of hot blood trickling down the pale face, a masterpiece. Ed stood and backed away, examining his now-bloodied glove.

"I think I proved my point. You should be grateful that I held back. If I'd used my _right_ hand, you would have a broken _face_ instead of just a nose."

Malfoy made a whimpering sound as he tried to stem the flow of blood from his nostrils without causing more damage.

"And if you _ever_ bully Kevin, or anyone else, again, I'll-"

"You'll do… what, Mr. Elric?" rang a slow, oily voice from the edge of the courtyard. The small sea of students parted to reveal Severus Snape, looking notably sour. "What… is going on… here?"

Malfoy immediately scrambled to his feet. "Sir, Elric attacked me without provocation!"

Ed rounded on the Slytherin. "WHAT? That's a load of bull! You were-"

"Enough!" Snape spoke calmly, but forcefully. "You, Miss Lovegood… tell me what… happened… and I want the _facts_."

As Luna explained the events to Snape, the rain finally started to slacken. Once she finished, Snape drew in a deep breath. "I see." He turned toward the two mud-covered boys. "Malfoy, remind me what… position you have?"

"…Prefect," muttered the pale Slytherin.

"Prefect, that is correct," said Snape, speaking more quickly than usual. "And, as a Prefect, you should not be participating in Wizard duels, no matter _who_ challenges you. Is that understood?"

"Yes… sir," replied Malfoy sheepishly.

"Ten points from Slytherin for this… disreputable behavior. Now, go see Madame Pomfrey about that nose."

The tall blonde immediately obeyed, taking back his coat from Goyle and storming off. After a few seconds of confused hesitation, his two cronies lumbered after him, forgetting all about Kevin as they dutifully followed their leader. Ed took a few steps toward the young Ishvalan before Snape's commanding voice stopped him, "Not so fast… Elric."

Ed pivoted to face the greasy professor, not a trace of fear in his expression; all his time in the military definitely came in handy when dealing with teachers. "Yes, sir?"

"Just because you're Hohenheim's son does not guarantee you any special treatment from me."

"I didn't expect it to, sir."

"Then, as the instigator of this… disturbance, it is only fair that… you shoulder a larger portion of the blame. I would say… twenty points from Ravenclaw. What do… _you_… think?" This final question actually gave Ed the feeling that Snape really didn't care what he thought on the matter at all.

"That sounds fine to me, sir."

Snape withdrew his gaze from Ed's face and glided on down the corridor. Kevin, having picked up and replaced the contents of his schoolbag, ran to Ed's side. "I'm sorry you got in trouble because of me, Ed."

"Don't mention it. That felt great!"

"I think Snape actually approved of what you were doing," said Luna serenely. "Otherwise, he would have taken fifty points."

"I don't care about points," Ed snorted.

"Oh, Ed!" piped up Kevin, suddenly remembering something important. "Michael was looking for you. He, uh… read your letter."

"He WHAT? How did he even… oh, of course. Mr. Genius Detective cracked Al's code, didn't he?"

"I guess so. He seemed really… well, confused by what he read, but he wouldn't tell us a word of it, only that he wanted to talk to you about it."

"Well, I'll have to take a little rain check on that," apologized Ed. "There's something I have to take care of first. Tell Michael to wait for me in the dorm, okay?

Kevin sighed heavily, but nodded.

"Thanks," Ed grinned. He was about to leave when Luna spoke up again, pulling out her wand.

"Wait a moment, Edward. _Scourgify_." Instantly, all the mud on Ed's clothes and skin vanished. "Remember to be polite; she is a lady, after all."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ed called as he took off in search of the Astronomy Tower and the ghost of Ravenclaw House.

* * *

Even though the rain had stopped long before Ed climbed the last step to the Tower, the midday sky still appeared gloomy. Against the shifting background of clouds, Ed found it nearly impossible to distinguish the wispy, transparent form of the Grey Lady. Clearing his throat, Ed said, "Um, excuse me?"

She twirled slowly so she could better see him. "Oh, it's you," she said in a weary voice. "What do you want?"

"There's something I need to ask you, something important."

The ghost pursed her lips, as if she had dealt with this thousands and thousands of times in the past. "I see. Well, get on with it."

A little confused, Ed thought carefully before forming the question, "Is it… is it _really_ impossible to bring the dead back to life?

The Grey Lady's eyes widened, as if this was not at all the inquiry she had expected. She immediately relaxed. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"Well, there are at least half-a-dozen ghosts in this castle, and I just thought…" his voice trailed off into silence.

The tall, pale woman floated toward him, her piercing eyes searching his face. "It seems you have a mistaken notion, so I will clarify this matter for you. A ghost is the imprint of a witch or wizard's soul, bound to the earth by some unfinished business or strong desire, but these cases are rare."

"But they are possible," pressed Ed. "And isn't that almost the same as coming back from the dead?"

"No… it is not. A ghost has never ventured onward; that is the whole point. We who remain in this world as shadows of our former selves, we were too afraid of the beyond. A soul who has passed into the next world… can _never_ return."

"But-"

"Life only flows in one direction, Edward Elric." A chill ran through the young alchemist as the Grey Lady breathed his name. "Wizards have tried for hundreds, thousands of years to prevent the effects of death or to reverse them, but to defy laws of such magnitude has its price. Any attempt to force the flow of life backwards upon itself would result in _painful_ consequences, both in body and soul." She leaned forward until her pale, shimmering face hovered only inches away from his. "But you already know that, don't you?"

Ed's left hand unconsciously wrapped around his right, feeling the metallic joints underneath the glove. "Yes, I do."

"Then you know what you must do now," she encouraged, backing away and returning to her previous location.

"Yes," agreed Ed, "thank you."

He turned and ran back down the many stairs, his mind working at a furious pace. So, even a ghost, a trapped soul, confirmed the reality that death was irreversible. _So, then, what was that thing Al and I made? For a moment, it was definitely alive. Where did that life, that soul, come from?_

It was probably lunchtime by now, so Ed bolted in the direction of the Great Hall. He had to find _them_ as quickly as possible. Before he could enter, however, he found his way blocked by a restored Draco Malfoy.

"What?" Ed demanded. "I beat you fair-and-square according to the conditions of the duel."

Malfoy's mended nostrils flared. "You humiliated me with Muggle fighting."

"You humiliated yourself on that count," Ed retorted. "Maybe if you didn't think anything Muggle-related was trash, you'd take some lessons and save yourself from embarrassment next time."

"There won't be a next time, not like that."

"Oh?" Ed wondered. "Then, how will it be?"

"You'll see soon enough, but mark my words, Elric, this is not over."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Ed apathetically.

Malfoy stiffened. "Are you brushing me off, you little-"

"What's going on here?" asked the cheery voice of Fred Weasley.

"Yeah," added George, "Ed, are you picking a fight with Malfoy?"

Ed sighed in relief; at least now he wouldn't have to scour the castle looking for those two now. Malfoy, however, interpreted this as a sign of anticipated assistance and sneered. "Aw, were you waiting for the twin Weasels to come and save you, _Small_ric?"

Growling, Ed tried to throw a left hook at Malfoy's smug face, but Fred and George reacted in time and held him back.

"I wouldn't make a habit of using that name, Malfoy," advised George.

"You might end up in the hospital wing for more than a broken nose," agreed Fred.

Scoffing, Malfoy turned on his heel and swept into the Great Hall.

"That was a close one," whistled Fred, releasing Ed.

The small blonde suppressed his anger at Malfoy's insult and faced the twins. "Man, am I glad I found you two so quickly."

"Well, it was more like we found you," noted George on the side.

"Why is that?" asked Fred in response to Ed's statement. "Is something wrong?"

Ed shook his head. "I just need some backup for… breaking a few rules."

"Well, then," said the twins in unison," you definitely came to the right people. How can we be of assistance?"

"I need your help getting out of Hogwarts," said Edward. "I need to go home."

* * *

A/N: Okay, Ed showering is not meant as fanservice… but you can think that if you like ^w^

Alphonse's letter has been stewing in my brain for about three chapters now; I'm so glad to have finally written it. If you look back at some previous author's notes, you should be able to figure out what Al means by "that special day."

I will say this now; Ed and Luna are not going to become a "thing." Any warm, fuzzy stuff between them should feel like a close friendship or a sister that Ed never had, 'kay?

The Mustang quote is actually from Episode 13 of the 2003 show, but since that side story is technically portrayed in an extra chapter of the manga, I let it pass (plus, it was so applicable).

When Snape talks, please imagine Alan Rickman's voice. I love the way he sometimes only says a handful of words at a time, drawing out his sentences.

"Smallric"... it makes me laugh XD

Will Ed face the questions of one curious Michael Corner? Find out, same Bat time, same Bat channel!


	9. Return to Risembool

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Are you ready to see Amestris again? I sure am! Some of this will feel _very_ similar to the events of Episode 20, _Father Before the Grave_ (but without Hohenheim, of course), and the beginning of Episode 21, _Advance of the Fool_. I'm going to leave out plenty of details this time, though. You can always just watch the show if you want the full _Brotherhood_ story.

If things feel like a sudden jolt forward at the beginning, just bear with me. _In medias res_ and all that…

This chapter has plenty of warm, fuzzy moments to balance what's to come in the following chapters. Mua-ha-ha-ha! *maniacal laughter ensues*

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Return to Risembool**

"You do realize how insane this is, don't you?" asked Hermione the following afternoon as she and Ginny trailed behind the group of boys.

"Ah, but that's the whole point," pouted Fred.

"I think it's brilliant!" cried George.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny said nothing, but their eyes were fixed firmly on the back of Ed's head.

"I just…" Hermione pushed, "I just don't want things to go wrong."

"They won't," Ed assured her. "I trust your skills; I'll be fine."

"But, you'll be in such trouble when you get back."

"Oh, leave off, Hermione," said Ron. "Ed's his own man; he can make his own decisions."

"Quite," agreed Fred as the troupe approached their destination: the Whomping Willow. He raised his wand, and the tree's tentacle-like branches immediately froze, as if someone had just dipped them in liquid nitrogen. "Right this way, ladies and gentlemen."

"Wait!" called the cold, deep voice of Michael Corner. Ed felt his insides twist a little. The previous evening's events flashed through his head: planning his escape with the twins, getting his other Order-connected student friends involved, and returning to his dorm to face an onslaught of questions from Michael, backed up by Terry, Anthony, and even Kevin. He had answered them honestly (at this rate, Ed figured he'd soon have told more people in the Wizarding World about himself than in Amestris – hardly a comforting thought), but he'd assumed that they wouldn't take him seriously, and the night had ended in an awkward silence. In short, it had been bad enough having to explain himself in full yesterday; he didn't need a subsequent interrogation.

"What?" he asked flatly. "Did I leave out a minor detail of my life story from when I was three, or something?"

"Hardly," Michael panted. "We've talked about everything you said last night, Ed, and… well, it's the only answer that satisfies all the evidence."

"So… you accepted it on a purely logical basis?"

"Exactly."

"Who's he?" Ron asked Harry surreptitiously, trying to conceal his mouth with his hand. Harry shrugged in equal ignorance as his friend.

Ed laughed softly. "Has anyone ever told you that you think _too_ much?"

"Anthony has mentioned it several times, yes. The point is: I believe every word about your country and alchemy – all of it, and I'd like to help. In fact, we all do."

"'We?'" repeated Ed, looking around Michael to see Luna skipping toward them, followed by Kevin, Terry, and a reluctant Anthony.

"Well, Ed, you're certainly popular," snickered George. "Who's this lot, then?"

Ed quickly pointed out each of the Ravenclaws in turn; when he mentioned Michael's name, he noticed the analyst exchange a meaningful look with a blushing Ginny. As odd as this was, he let the matter pass.

"All right, then," said Hermione nervously. "We'd better get inside before a teacher sees us."

"Or worse, before Fred's Freezing Charm wears off," reminded Ron.

One at a time, they clambered down into the secret passageway. As they crept along the dark, earthen corridor, Ed could hear Anthony muttering something like, "Why did I let Terry talk me into this? I'm a Prefect, and I'm helping someone break out of school. Oh, the shame of it all."

"If you're gonna complain so much, you can back out," Ed noted.

Anthony reacted with wounded pride. "As if I would 'back out' on my fellow Ravenclaw in his time of need."

_Because I need your help _so_ much_, mused Ed sarcastically. _What an egotist_.

Eventually, they all reached the end of the passageway and entered the creaking, dusty living room of a small, boarded-up house.

"Well, here we are," announced Fred like a salesman showing off his wares. "The Shrieking Shack."

"One of the easiest ways to sneak off of school grounds," added his twin.

"But," Kevin asked in a squeaky voice, "Isn't this place…"

"Haunted?" supplied Harry. "No, but it helps if most people keep thinking that."

"Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to use it to make Ed an illegal connection to the Floo Network, would we?" pointed out Ginny.

"Ah, so that's your plan?" said Michael, eyeing the sooty, long-unused fireplace. "A sound one in theory, but in practice…" he left the sentence open-ended.

"Oh, don't be such a downer, Mikey!" laughed George, wrapping an arm around the dark-haired Ravenclaw. "Fred and I watched a Ministry official set up a temporary connection to Harry's aunt and uncle's place last summer, and with Hermione and all you other smart people here, this'll be like taking firewood from a bowtruckle."

"Well," said Ed, pushing up the long sleeves of his black thermal, "we'd better get to work."

Fred, George, and Hermione took charge of the setup process (though Anthony didn't look particularly pleased about that), and Ed busied himself with organizing several substances atop a dusty dining table.

"Wha's that for?" inquired Terry.

"Floo Powder."

"I _still_ think it's dangerous for you to be transmuting magical ingredients," chided Hermione from across the room.

"Quit worrying so much, Hermione," said Ron. "Ed knows what he's doing."

As Ed reread over a recipe for Floo Powder he had borrowed from the library, he heard a conversation in the background.

"Potter," began Michael, "I just want you to know, I believe your account of what happened the night of the Third Task."

"Oh," said Harry, taken aback. "Thanks… but you can just call me 'Harry.'"

"It was easy enough to deduce, thanks to some dirt on your robes. I traced it back to a graveyard in-"

"Oh, enough already!" moaned Anthony, rolling his eyes. "You don't have to explain it all."

Michael looked slightly offended by this outburst. "Suffice it to say that the empirical evidence was irrefutable. I don't know why the Ministry doesn't try learning a thing or two from Muggle forensics."

"Well, it's not like they'd take th' word of a teenager on such an important matta'," said Terry resignedly.

At this point, Ed's attention returned to his reading. Once he had added the right measurements of each ingredient into his cauldron, he mixed the substances alchemically. The Ravenclaws seemed especially interested in the resulting lightshow, having never before seen a transmutation.

"Ta-da," pronounced Ed with a dramatic flair.

"Fascinating," said Michael, obviously intrigued.

"Wow," breathed Kevin in awe.

"Showoff," muttered Anthony out one side of his mouth.

"Tha's wicked!" cried Terry gleefully.

"Everything ready on your end?" Ed asked the twins and Hermione.

"Just about," replied Fred and George, engrossed in their preparations. "You'd best get your stuff together."

"Right," Ed noted. Having decided a trunk would be too obvious and bulky, he had transmuted a messenger bag from one of his bed curtains and packed his essentials. Opening the satchel, he now added a small, leather pouch of freshly made Floo Powder to its contents.

"Ed…" Hermione began entreatingly. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm _beyond_ sure. I'm dead-set."

Feeling not at all comforted, Hermione pressed her plea. "But, what will you do when you get back? If Umbridge finds out-"

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Don't feel like you have to cover for me; just act like you don't know anything about it."

"Do you know how long you'll be gone?" asked Luna dreamily.

"No," replied Ed without hesitating. "A few days… a week, maybe?"

"Maybe?" Anthony laughed feebly and insincerely. "Well, you _obviously_ have a solid plan, don't you?"

"I realize that this is a spur-of-the-moment decision," Ed admitted, "but I have to do this. If I don't…" The rest of the sentence never made it out of his lungs: _Then my doubts will continue to haunt me, and I won't be able to move forward_.

"But-" Hermione protested before Ed cut her off.

"Look, Hermione. I'll bring back a book on alchemy for you, okay? I promise."

Though she immediately realized that Ed was bribing her, she nevertheless withheld her worrisome opinions after that.

Harry handed Edward his red coat, and, for a moment, the young alchemist saw thin white scars on the back of his friend's right hand. The Gryffindors had told him all about Harry's abysmal first week under Umbridge's careful watch, reinforcing Ed's determination to beat the old hag to a pulp if he got the chance.

"Thanks," he told Harry. "Keep the fight going against the toad while I'm gone, would ya?"

Understanding Ed's meaning, the bespectacled boy half-smiled and nodded. "Definitely."

After pulling on his coat and slinging his bag over one shoulder, Ed turned to the Weasley twins. "Well?"

"It's as ready as it'll ever be," shrugged Fred.

"But, that doesn't mean we're not confident it'll work," said George in quick succession.

Ed threw a pinch of Floo Powder into the fireplace, and emerald flames flared for an instant. "Oh, it'll work," he reassured them. Stepping into the hearth, he faced his friends and said simply, "Well, see ya!" With one hand, he gave them a casual salute, and with the other, he clutched a fistful of Floo Powder. Just before he threw down the shimmering powder, he announced his destination, "Rockbells' Prosthetic Limb Outfitters."

* * *

Ed knew it had worked long before he reached the other side; he could feel a powerful force wash over him as he passed through the Fidelius Charm. What he didn't count on was the desk positioned directly in front of him as he landed in the Rockbells' main room. _WHAM!_

"Ow…" he moaned. Underneath the ringing that now filled his ears, he heard a shriek, like the sound a housewife would make upon spotting a rat. Rubbing the spot where a lump was rapidly forming on his head, Ed looked up. Someone was standing over him, and even though his unfocused eyes couldn't make out her face, he knew full well who it was.

"…Ed?" asked Winry.

"Uh, hi," he replied plainly.

The awkwardness of his arrival hung between them for a moment. Then, Winry let loose a squeal of combined relief and delight and tackled him.

"_Gack!_ Winry, you're crushing me!" Ed cried, trying to free himself from the viselike grip of her hug.

"I was so worried!" she spluttered. "Ever since I realized I'd forgotten that screw, I... I…"

Ed didn't have to see her face to tell that she was about to cry. Feeling an immediate desire to intervene, he blurted, "It's okay. I'm fine, really! Moody took care of it, so-"

As if someone had just flipped a switch, Winry drew back from him with an indignant expression. "Are you saying you let that self-proclaimed wizard tamper with _my_ automail?"

"Well, I'd say he's more than self-proclaimed."

Winry raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What do you mean? You're not saying he really _is_ a wizard, are you?"

"Uh, well, yeah."

"Oh, come on, Ed. You, of all people, can't think magic exists."

"How else do you think I got here?"'

That question immediately depleted Winry of comebacks, leaving her slack-jawed as her eyes darted between Edward and the fireplace. She tried to speak several times, but all that came out was a succession of high-pitched squeaks. Wishing to break the tension, Ed stood and brushed some loose ash off of his coat. As he did so, he noticed what must be Winry's latest project.

"What's that?" he asked conversationally.

Stirring from her stunned state, Winry followed his gaze. "Oh, that? Well… it's for you. About a month ago, I got some schematics for a kind of automail the military uses in the North. It's supposed to be much lighter without losing much strength, and it's even resistant to cold. So… I thought I'd make some… for you… I thought it might… help."

Ed couldn't help but feel a little touched. "Wow… thanks. So, when will they be done?"

"Not long… a few days? I have to make some finishing touches on the circuitry, and then it's just a matter of attaching the outer plating-"

"Do you know where I could find a shovel?" Ed interrupted.

"Huh? What do you need one for?"

He paused before answering with a somber expression, "I'm going to the hill… to dig up _that thing_. There's something I have to know."

Winry's brow creased in determination. "Then, I'll go with you. That's not a task you should do by yourself, and it's going to rain soon, from the looks of it."

Ed made no protest to this suggestion. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he was glad Winry had offered to accompany him. That way, he couldn't be tempted to retreat.

* * *

By the time they had climbed the hill where Elrics' house had once stood, a few scattered drops had already begun to fall from the heavy sky. Ed quickly set about locating the spot where Pinako had hastily buried the monstrosity he and Al had created. As soon as he found it, he forced the shovel's blade into the earth, ripping up the thin covering of weeds and grass as he penetrated the topsoil. Before long, he had fallen into a steady rhythm: shovel, dump, shovel, dump, shovel, dump. He only paused when the nauseating reality of what he was doing overcame him. After one such episode, Ed stood shakily, leaning against the hollow shell of a tree. The dense rain bombarded him like a spray of bullets. Winry came alongside him, one hand rubbing his upper back, the other resting on his left shoulder.

"Ed," she urged, "let's go back. You're hurting yourself."

"No," Ed managed through a burning esophagus as he wiped his mouth and forced down a resurging impulse to vomit, "I won't be able to move forward until I know for sure. I won't run away from this."

After many hundred repetitions of shoveling, Ed felt the blade hit something that wasn't dirt. Tossing aside the implement, he dug with his hands until his fingers wrapped around a muddy, matted clump of hair. He hurried to a nearby pail full of rainwater and washed the strands clean. When he saw the result, his breath caught in his chest.

"Winry?" he choked between shallow gasps. "Mom's hair was a light chestnut color… and this is black."

When at last they had dug up all the various remains, Winry examined the bones. "This femur's way too long, and I'm pretty sure this pelvis is male." She looked at Ed with a sorrowful expression. "I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid this isn't your mother, Ed."

The impact of her words hit him like a punch in the diaphragm, forcing him down onto his hands and knees. _It's not Mom. It's not. So, then…_

In spite of himself, Ed felt something bubble up inside of him. Before he could register his own actions, he was chuckling. He steadied his weight solely on his knees, throwing his head back and laughing maniacally. When he paused for breath, he spoke with finality, "That's it, then. It really is impossible to bring the dead back to life." In a display of emotion he normally would never have shown around Winry, Ed buried his face in his wet, grimy hands, his body shaking with renewed mirth at his pathetic attempt to change the laws of nature. "It was impossible all along."

He felt Winry's hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Ed," she said soothingly, "you've got to get ahold of yourself."

Letting out a long sigh, Ed let his hands fall back to his sides. "I'm okay, Winry. It's okay." Looking at the remains of his experiment, he continued, "From the moment I made this thing, it's been a symbol of my despair, but not anymore. Now it's an emblem of hope." He raised his face to meet hers, locking the gazes of gold and blue. "Al can be returned to normal."

* * *

Despite Edward's longing to reunite with Alphonse, he remained at the Rockbells' all of the following day (as good as the Hogwarts food was, it just wasn't a substitute for Granny Pinako's home-cooking). Having made a rather awkward and difficult phone call to his Teacher, Ed found himself left with little to do, since Winry and Pinako were too engrossed in their work to make much conversation. As he meandered aimlessly along the ground floor hallway, he made a discovery: an alchemy book that he must have left here after his automail surgery. Ed thumbed through the pages, as if, by doing so, he could somehow revive the simplicity of those days. Back then, he had known only one goal: get Al's body back, no matter what. Now, between the Homunculi and the Wizarding World, Ed wondered if his life would ever be that simple again. Remembering his promise to Hermione, Ed pulled the ash wand out of his back pocket, pointed the tip at the heavy hardback, and whispered, "_Reducio_." After returning his wand to its hiding place, Ed dropped the now-miniaturized tome into his bag.

"Well, that's _two_ tasks down," he mused aloud, "and a mountain of them left to go."

* * *

The next morning, Winry made an unexpected request.

"You want to _what_?" Ed gaped.

"You heard me, Edward. I want to go with you to Central. Don't you think I want to see Al, too? Besides, I'm so close to being done with your new automail, and I really want you to have it as soon as possible. _Please?_"

Ed furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes, but Winry's pleading expression could have melted steel. He sighed, "Fine."

"Yay! I've already packed, so I'll just go and grab my things."

As she scampered back inside the house, Ed turned to Pinako. "I'll look after her, Granny. I'll see to it that she gets on her way home safely."

"You do that, Ed," agreed Pinako, drawing in a deep breath through her pipe. "But, try to have a little fun, all the same."

_Fun?_ Ed thought. _For crying out loud, Granny, you're making it sound like a date or something_. No sooner had that statement paraded across his mind than he realized, _I can't believe I just let that thought enter my head. A date with Winry? No way…_

It didn't help matters when the girl in question reappeared toting a large toolkit on her back. She gave Ed a perplexed look and asked. "What's wrong with _you_?"

_That's just what I was wondering_, Ed demanded of himself, suppressing his inner embarrassment. "Nothing," he told her. "Let's get going."

As they set off along the dirt path, Winry noted sarcastically, "So, why aren't you travelling by _magic_ again?"

"The way I came before only connects to your house, and I don't really know how to use any other methods of Wizard travel, so: a Muggle train, it is."

Winry laughed, and Ed rounded on her. "What's so funny?"

"You," she giggled. "I didn't realize it at first, but you've picked up a funny accent."

"What?" cried Ed, horrified at the idea of England rubbing off on him so strongly. "I have not!"

"You '_hah_ve,' too," Winry retorted, emphasizing the drawn-out vowel. Ed felt his cheeks burning, but he refrained from speaking further, afraid that an unintentional English accent would slip out again.

When they reached the station, Ed bought the tickets while Winry handed off her tool pack to one of the luggage porters. Not long after they boarded the train and settled into their adjacent seats, the metal behemoth rumbled to life. As the train picked up speed, the young alchemist took up his habit of staring out the window, but Winry soon interfered with this ritual.

"It's going to be a long train ride, so… why don't you tell me what you've been up to these past few months?"

"I wouldn't want to bore you," came the dispassionate excuse. "Plus, you probably wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Why, does it have to do with magic?"

Ed's troubled expression confirmed her question. "I wish I'd never gotten mixed up in that mess."

"Okay, now I definitely want to hear about it," insisted Winry, shifting in her seat so as to give Ed her full attention. At last, he relented.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do."

Whether because she was so worn out from working on automail, or because she secretly did find Ed's story boring, Winry fell asleep not long after Ed had finished his magical tale of terror (or at least, that's what _he_ might have called it). Ed felt drowsy himself, so he hoped that his recent history with nightmares wouldn't make a scene on the train. Just before he dozed off, he felt Winry's head slide onto his shoulder. In another time, he might have roughly shoved her off of him, but instead he decided to be chivalrous, just this once. After all, he didn't know when, after this visit, he would see Winry next, or even… if he would at all. With that last thought, Ed closed his eyes and gently rested his head against hers.

* * *

Not surprisingly, Alphonse Elric nearly had a disembodied heart attack when his older brother strode into the hotel room.

"Hey, Al," said Edward, as if his presence was a perfectly normal occurrence. Then, he realized just how seriously damaged his little brother was. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"I'm sorry, Brother!" Al spluttered, waving his remaining arm defensively.

"You didn't say it was this bad in your letter! Aw, forget it. I can fix you, but I'm gonna have to extend what little is left of your armor."

After repairing Al, Ed told the younger Elric about how he'd dug up the body in Risembool. At first, Alphonse seemed horrified, outraged even, but as Ed explained his resulting findings, Al's tone changed from accusing to hopeful.

"So, you think my body's still alive in the Portal, existing separately from my soul?"

"Exactly. That means all we have to do is find a way to pull it out of there."

"That sounds a little _too_ simple, if you ask me," said a cheery voice. The brothers (and Winry, who had been tinkering on Ed's new automail in the background) all rounded on the open window, where perched a tall young man with long black hair pulled into a ponytail and eyes so thin and slanted, they appeared to be closed.

"Ling!" cried Al in greeting. "I wasn't expecting you… uh… this is my brother."

"It's a pleasure," smiled Ling as he leapt into the room and vigorously shook Ed's hand. "Al's told me all about you, and I've been itching to meet you in person."

"I see," said Ed plainly.

"Well, don't let me get in the way of your conversation," insisted Ling, plopping cross-legged onto the couch next to Al, "I just want to see if I can pick up any useful hints about the Philosopher's Stone or immortality."

"Then, you'll be disappointed," informed Ed. Nevertheless, he returned to his discussion with Al. The only other interruption of the evening was a return call from Izumi Curtis, and the information she supplied only supported Ed's conclusion that death was permanent. The brothers talked late into the night, long after Winry had gone to bed and a sleeping Ling had been fetched by his rather pretty bodyguard, Lan-Fan.

"So, what now?" asked Al in conclusion.

"Well, first thing we'll do is go to the hospital and see Mustang and Havoc. Maybe they can tell us something more about what happened."

"The Colonel already gave me a brief account, the one I put in my letter. Just… try to be a _little_ sensitive, Brother. They are injured, after all."

Ed snorted in derision, "I doubt Mustang's gonna let a little skewer through his gut stop him from giving me a hard time. It's only fair if I return the favor." Standing, Ed stretched his arms above his head and yawned widely. "Since you're not using the bed, can I-"

Al nodded, and Ed, kicking off his boots and removing his coat and jacket, crashed gratefully onto the soft mattress. The younger Elric put out the lights in the room, pulled a chair next to the left side of his brother's bed, and sat.

"I really missed you," the metallic voice whispered.

"I missed you, too," assured the small blonde. "And I'd much rather stay here with you than go back to Hogwarts."

"But?" supplied Al.

"_But_, I know that Dumbledore and D-" Ed caught himself before a dangerously familial term slipped out, "Hohenheim are trying to keep me safe. I get it, so… I have to go back. I'll stay a few days to help you get a new lead on this whole mess, and then…" He left the end of the sentence open to interpretation, but Alphonse understood.

After a moment of pregnant silence, Al asked, "Um… Ed? This might sound kind of childish, and I can't feel anything anyway, but… could I hold your hand?"

The elder Elric wordlessly held out his left hand obligingly. Al clasped it tightly, but gently.

"It's just…" he said in a choked voice, "I can't shake off the feeling that something really bad is going to happen soon. When I've been alone at night, I keep having… daydreams, I guess you'd call them, and… they never end well."

Concerned for his little brother, Ed inquired, "What do you mean?"

"The Homunculi completing their transmutation circle, Voldemort attacking Hogwarts… anything that might… that would mean I'd never see you again." The huge armor body quivered with quiet, fearful sobs. Ed got onto his knees, crawled to the edge of the bed, and wrapped his arms as well as he could around Al's shoulders, the way he had when they were kids whenever something had frightened the kind little boy.

"I won't let them take me from you," Ed promised. "Not Voldemort, not the Homunculi, not anyone. We're going to get our bodies back _together_. There's _no way_ I'll leave you alone."

Al nodded, still trembling. "Th… thank you, Brother."

"Don't mention it," Ed assured him, "That's what I'm here for."

* * *

Lieutenant Hawkeye greeted the brothers the next day as they approached the hospital room where Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Havoc were recovering, though she seemed more than a little taken aback by Edward's presence.

"Your father said you were away," she explained, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"I was," Ed replied curtly, not at all keen to give out any more information. "How's Colonel Invalid?"

"Grumpy," said Hawkeye. "But _we've_ already had our shouting match, so maybe he'll be calmer today." She opened the door for the boys and called in ahead of them, "You boys have some visitors."

Alphonse gave Mustang and Havoc a slight bow of respect, but Ed peeked around the hulking suit of armor and blurted, "Well, well, look who went and got himself skewered by a Homunculus."

Colonel Mustang went wide-eyed at the sight of his snippy subordinate. "What are _you_ doing here, Fullmetal? Your father said you were-"

"Away, yeah."

"Care to tell me about it?"

"That's none of your business."

"I'm your commanding officer; I'd say that _makes_ it my business. Your brother hasn't given us any hints, and your father has tighter lips than a bank vault on the subject, so it falls to you to tell me where you've been."

Edward met Mustang's stern gaze and said, "I can't. It isn't my secret to tell."

"So, it's a secret?" asked Lieutenant Havoc from the other hospital bed. "Why?"

"I can't say that either."

"Fullmetal…" Colonel Mustang's tone wasn't threatening, but still equally insistent. Ed sighed, trying to think of a way to explain his predicament without giving away too much.

"I… I _want_ to trust you, Colonel. I _do_, but I can't run the risk of the higher-ups hearing about it."

"The senior staff?" inquired Lieutenant Breda, who had previously been sitting quietly in the far corner. "Why?"

The small blonde turned helplessly to his brother, "Tell them, Al; tell them what you saw."

Alphonse faced the room of soldiers. "I think there's a strong possibility… no, I'm convinced that Fuhrer Bradley is a Homunculus." The silence that followed was so thick that Ed could practically feel it weighing him down.

"I actually have some information that could confirm that, sir," Hawkeye informed her superior, grabbing a map of Central from a nearby nightstand and laying it open across Mustang's lap. "I counted the number of steps we took in that underground passage and calculated a radius of where it could have led." She traced a circle with a red pen and pointed at an area of particular interest. "The only location of strategic importance crossed by this circle is Central Command, and even a small part of the presidential estate."

Mustang gave the map a long, hard look, then he laid it aside and lifted his head authoritatively. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, secure all the exits to this room: doors, windows, anything."

"Sir," Hawkeye complied, bolting the double doors, checking the locks on the windows, lowering the blinds, and scanning the room in search of any hidden surveillance or openings.

When she had completed her task, the Colonel faced the Elric Brothers. "I swear to you, what you say will not leave this room."

Impressed by the effort Mustang was taking to learn the truth, Ed relented, "All right, Colonel. But first…" he paused as he walked toward the doors Hawkeye had just fortified. Despite Al's gasp of protest, Edward brought out his wand and cast an Imperturbable Charm on the main exit. "Just to make sure we won't be disturbed."

"What the hell?" breathed Mustang in shock.

"This," the young alchemist began, holding up the instrument for all the soldiers to see, "is why I was gone."

* * *

Quite opposite from Winry's passive reception of Ed's story, Mustang and the other officers were attentive the entire time (albeit, the version Ed delivered this time focused on the most important developments).

"To think magic really exists," murmured Colonel Mustang when Ed had finished relaying the confidential information. "You're absolutely right; this matter _is_ far too dangerous to let a bunch of power-hungry wolves like the senior staff learn of it. But, I assure you, Fullmetal, _I_ will act with this intelligence in mind." Turning to his subordinates, he added. "I hope all of you are ready to work yourself ragged."

"Yeah… about that, Colonel," said Havoc regretfully, "I'm afraid you're gonna have to count me out." Every eye was on the sandy-haired Lieutenant now. "Your work requires legs… and I can't feel mine."

Gasps erupted all around the room. For reasons Ed didn't fully understand himself, he walked to the edge of Havoc's bed, his left hand still wrapped around the handle of his wand.

"I'm sorry, Havoc; I'd do something if I could… but there are injuries that even magic can't fix. And even if there was a way, I'm not skilled enough. I'd be afraid of only making things worse."

"Don't sweat it, kid," Havoc assured the small blonde, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm no worse off than if I didn't even know about this magic business."

His words tugged at Ed's gut. "Then… there's something I have to ask you. Since you won't be involved… do you even want to carry around this information with you?"

"What are you saying, Fullmetal?" Mustang demanded of Edward's back.

"I _do_ know how to erase your memory of this conversation," said Ed somberly. "If you'd rather not be burdened with that secret, I can take care of it."

Havoc's eyes widened; he looked at his coworkers for any wordless advice, but at last his gaze returned to Ed's face. "The last thing I want to be is a liability, a possible leak. Go ahead, Edward."

Ed gulped; his suggestion sounded a lot better in word than it did in deed. Trying to keep his hand steady, Ed raised the ash wand, but, for a few seconds, he hesitated. _Am I really doing the right thing?_ In that moment of deliberation, a searing pain shot up his left arm, spreading throughout his body. When it reached his brain, a booming, fiery voice thundered inside his head, "Don't just stand there, boy! If you're going to use me, then do it already! My patience is running thin!"

_What the…? Was that…?_ Even Ed's thoughts couldn't make complete sense (or sentences) of what had just happened. Had his wand really just _spoken_ to him? Not daring to give away any part of this shocking episode by his expression, Ed calmly pointed the wandtip at Havoc's face. "_Obliviate_."

The lieutenant's features relaxed, his eyes closed, and his head sunk back into his pillows.

"He'll be fine," Ed managed, still conflicted. "Well, Colonel, I think Al and I had better get going."

Mustang nodded gravely. Ed lifted the Imperturbable Charm and walked toward the door, motioning for Alphonse to follow suit. Just before he crossed the threshold, he heard Mustang call, "Watch your backs, both of you."

"We'll do that," Ed grinned. "For now, you just focus on getting back on your feet."

* * *

"This sucks," grumbled Envy. "Why should I have to get saddled with watching the armored brat this afternoon? But, _no_, Wrath is all, 'We all have to take turns.' Who died and left _him_ in charge?" The Homunculus bitterly kicked an empty can at a nearby cat, sending the small creature scampering and shrieking into a dark alcove. Just then, he heard the _clunk, clank, clunk_ of his quarry approaching. Pressing himself flat against the brick wall of the alley, Envy listened, not daring to steal a glance until the armored boy had passed by. _Is he alone? No, there are two sets of footfalls_.

"I'm glad you and the Colonel didn't get into too much of a fight," Alphonse Elric's voice echoed.

The boy's companion laughed. "I could tell he wasn't up for it, and I'm not so low as to confront him unfairly; that'd be too easy of a win."

_That voice…_ Envy's senses suddenly went on high alert. _I know that voice!_ Anger flared up within the Homunculus. _No! How the hell could he have gotten back here without us knowing? And, for that matter, where has he been all this time?_ He wanted to leap out of the alley, run Edward Elric to the ground, and beat an answer out of the little brat, but he restrained himself. _Father wants to keep him as undamaged as possible; he wouldn't be pleased if I delivered a bloody pulp as one of his sacrifices. I'll bide my time… I have a feeling that an opportunity will present itself very soon._

* * *

The Elric Brothers roamed around the streets of Central as the afternoon wore on into evening, Ed eager to take in as much of Amestris as possible while he could. Only when they heard a man's worried voice call, "Edward!" did the two young alchemists halt.

"What the… Sergeant Brosch?"

"I'm glad I found you," panted the Amestrian officer, holding out an important-looking piece of paper. "You need to go back to your hotel right away. I can escort you, if you want me to."

Grabbing the offered page, Ed's eyes scanned the lines of type. He read aloud, "It has now been confirmed that Scar has returned to Central. He has already claimed five victims, all of which have been identified as State Alchemists." The brothers exchanged a worrisome glance before Ed continued, "Eyewitnesses describe Scar as an Ishvalan with a large scar on his forehead. Other identifiable markings include a tattoo on his right arm."

"A tattoo?" gasped Al. "But that means-"

"Yeah," growled Ed, the edges of the notification creasing as he clenched his fists around the paper. "It was _him_."

* * *

"So," said Al as the brothers sat in their hotel room, "we've agreed not to tell Winry about this, right?"

Ed nodded. "I couldn't stand to be the one to make her cry again."

"Neither could I."

After a moment of silence, Ed sighed. "Regardless, it looks like we'll have to fight him."

"To find out if he really did kill Winry's parents?"

"Well, there is that, but there's another reason." Ed locked eyes with his brother. "We're gonna lure out the Homunculi."

"What?"

"We're their sacrifices, right? They're not just gonna stand by while Scar kills us, and when they intervene, we'll capture one and pound some answers out of him."

"Ed! Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

"Well, it much better than doing nothing!"

"Oh, really? Because Scar literally tore us apart last time."

A few beads of nervous sweat surfaced on the back of Ed's neck at the memory. "But, we've gotten a lot stronger these past few months. Besides, if it comes down to it, I can always use mag-"

"NO!" Al's sharp rebuke stopped Edward mid-word. "You can't just whip out magic in public, Brother! What if the Homunculi saw you using it?"

Ed bit his lip uncomfortably, put in check by Al's common sense, as usual.

"And what happens if the Homunculi do show up, anyway?" Al continued. "How are you going to catch one? They're super-strong, and they pretty much can't die!"

"'_Can't die?'_" cried the jubilant voice of Ling Yao, pulling aside the curtains as he and his vassal clambered in through the two windows. "Was that hyperbole?"

"Or are they actually immortal?" pressed Lan-Fan.

Al let out a small, annoyed sound. "Why don't we lock the windows?"

"No, wait," said Ed, looking at Ling hopefully, "this is perfect. Ling, how'd you like to help Al and me catch a Homunculus?"

Ling nearly fell off of the windowsill from excitement. "Count us in! We'd love to help out!"

Ed raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Now, remember, we'll be in this together. I'll be relying on you and Lan-Fan to hold up your end."

"I promise not to run off with it," vowed Ling. "I owe you that much after imposing on your generous hospitality for so long."

_Damn right, you owe me_, Ed grumbled inwardly. "Then it's settled." His gaze drifted from Ling and Lan-Fan back to Al. He could tell that his little brother was worried, and that uncertainty sowed a seed a doubt in Ed's mind. Would this crazy plan work, or would it come crashing down around them? Gripping the front of his shirt, Ed hoped beyond hope that his decisions weren't about to get them all killed.

* * *

A/N: Okay, to prep you for the next chapter: I'm going to jump forward, but Ed will mentally recap the important stuff at the beginning. It works like this:  
Sunday: Ed returns to Risembool, digs up the body, etc.  
Monday: Ed stays at the Rockbells  
Tuesday: Ed and Winry travel to Central, Ed meets Ling, Ed and Al compare notes and catch up  
Wednesday: Brothers visit Mustang and Havoc, learn of Scar's reappearance, make their plans with Ling (Chapter 9 ends)  
Thursday: Ed showboats to get Scar's attention, they fight, Gluttony is captured, etc.  
Friday: Chapter 10 begins!

Expect primarily-_Brotherhood_ material for the next two chapters or so, but the _HP_ stuff will still come to bear on the events.

This is a short window of opportunity for Ed to see Winry, so that's why there are several EdWin moments. :3


	10. Trapped in the Void

**_Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix_**

**_by AngelG93_**

* * *

A/N: Wow, tenth chapter! I'm adjusting to college now, so I won't be able to update as frequently. Thank you for your patience.

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:  
**Breyannia**: Thank you so much! Wow… I just hope I won't lose you when things take a dark, twisted turn (because I can promise they will).  
**Unimportant**: Yes, I know Bradley was Pride in the 2003 anime, but since this takes place in the _Brotherhood_ universe, he's Wrath.

As I let you know in the previous A/N, the beginning of this chapter leaps forward about a day. A few things to remember: Ed is wearing a black, button-down shirt, his hair is in a ponytail, and his head is bandaged. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Trapped in the Void**

Darkness had replaced the sky, and blood – the ground. The boy waded groggily on his hands and knees through the pungent, metallic liquid, trying to remember how he had come to this godforsaken place. He and Al had made their plans with Ling, and had confronted Scar the very next day, but something had gone wrong. _Winry,_ he recalled, _Winry was there, and she heard how Scar had killed her parents._ In her grief, Winry had almost shot the vengeful Ishvalan. A Homunculus had appeared, and they had captured it, but, in the process, Lan-Fan had lost an arm, and nearly her life.

At that point, the effort to remember objectively became too great. Plunging under the churning surface, the boy lost his grip on reality and slipped into a memory, reliving a scene from that day.

* * *

"Aaow!" Ed cried out in protest. "Are you making this more painful than usual, or something?"

"Well, Edward, if you didn't squirm, it wouldn't hurt so much," insisted Winry, securing a few final screws (and double-checking that she hadn't forgotten one this time). Once she had completed her inspection, she added, "Go on; how does it feel?"

Ed stood, not sure what to expect from this Northern automail Winry had made. He walked in a circle, flexing the joints experimentally.

"Well?" Winry pressed eagerly.

"It's so light," gaped Ed. "That's incredible! Winry, you're amazing."

The mechanic blushed at his praise, but she smiled nonetheless. "I'm just glad it works so well."

The small blonde paused in his pacing, ready to transition onto a more serious topic. "Winry, I saw Fuhrer Bradley talking to you earlier. What did he want?"

"Oh, that? He just wondered if I was acquainted with you and Al, and I told him I was the oldest friend you two had ever had."

"Anything else?"

"No, that's when you came over."

Ed remembered it clearly: a weathered hand clapping him on the shoulder as the imposing figure of the Fuhrer towered over him. Bradley had said, "That's a fine friend you have, Fullmetal Alchemist. You make sure to take good care of her." Considering what he now knew about Bradley's true identity as a Homunculus, Ed couldn't help but hear the threat underneath his advice.

"I see," he muttered, still mulling over the recent events.

Winry shut the lid of her toolkit and stood. "Well, now that I've taken care of that, you probably think I should go home, don't you?"

"That _was_ the plan. Al's already gone on ahead to meet up with Ling, but I can see you to the station."

"You don't have to do that," said Winry sheepishly.

"I want to," Edward insisted, causing the blond girl's cheeks to flush even darker.

During the short car ride to the train station, Ed's mind worked at a furious pace. The Homunculi knew about Winry, which placed her in a dangerous position. If those monsters needed leverage on the brothers, they now had a potential hostage ripe for the taking. By the time Ed and Winry stepped onto the busy stage of Central Station, the young alchemist had made his decision.

"Hold up, Winry. There's gonna have to be a change of plans."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What kind of change?"

"Al told me about this city in the South full of automail shops and stuff. Heard of it?"

"You mean Rush Valley? Of course! How could I _not_ have heard of it? It's every automail engineer's dream to go there!"

"Good, 'cause that dream's about to come true for you." Pulling out a large handful of cenz, Ed placed the currency into Winry's hands. "I want you to take this money and go there. Get an apprenticeship, or something."

Winry stared open-mouthed at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, very. I'll call Granny and tell her you're safe."

Winry accepted the money and zipped it safely inside a pocket, still thunderstruck. "What brought this on?" she asked at last.

"Why?" Ed replied rather defensively. "Can't I just want to do something nice for you?"

Something seemed to click together in Winry's mind. She smiled, but tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. Ed's stomach looped into pretzels: the last thing he wanted was for her to cry over this.

"On one condition," he added hastily. "No more crying. The next time you cry, I want them to be tears of joy, because Al and I will have come home in our original bodies, and you'll cry from sheer happiness."

After wiping away the nascent tears, Winry threw her arms around him in tight hug. "It's a promise."

Not sure what else to do, Ed patted her on the back awkwardly. "Good."

"Edward?"

"What?"

"…Never mind. You'll figure it out eventually."

Before he could even say, "Huh?", he felt the tender, warm touch of her lips on his cheek. Only when she had released him and disappeared into the throng did the full realization hit home: Winry had just kissed him. In the moment of euphoria following that comprehension, he felt like he could take on an army.

* * *

Ed emerged from the memory when his body registered that he was drowning. He jerked upward out of the shallow sea of gore, coughing and spluttering. Only after spitting out stale blood and wiping more of the sticky liquid off of his face with his sleeve did Ed notice the growing shape of someone approaching, illuminated only by a few distant flickers of light.

"Who's there?" he called into his dim surroundings. The figure reacted to his voice and came barreling toward him. In his groggy condition, Ed had no energy to dodge the charge. A hand grabbed the front of his shirt and flipped him easily, dropping him to the bloodied ground with a splash.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" growled a menacing voice. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?"

Trying to shake the blood out of his stinging eyes, Ed looked up into the livid face of Envy the Homunculus. The monster roughly kicked the small blonde, sending him skipping like a stone across the surface of the putrid lake.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU HAD TO TRY AND SAVE YOUR XINGESE FRIEND, YOU GOT ALL OF US SWALLOWED BY GLUTTONY!"

Suddenly, bits of memories flashed to the forefront of Ed's mind: a shack on the outskirts of Central, Gluttony's body splitting down the middle to reveal a gaping void, a hurtling sensation like that of the Portal. "Where are we, then?" he asked Envy. "There's no way all of this could fit inside Gluttony."

"You don't know _anything_, do you, pipsqueak?" groaned Envy, his temper momentarily restrained. "Gluttony is a failed experiment of our Father's to create his own Portal of Truth. This place, it's a whole different plane of reality… and there's _no way out_."

"And when you say 'all of us,' you don't mean… Al…"

"Oh, no worries there, pipsqueak," snorted Envy, tossing something metal at Ed. When the boy caught it, he realized it was the left hand of his brother's armor. "That was the only part of him that got sucked into this hellhole."

"Then he's safe," Ed sighed in relief.

A vein stood out on the Homunculus's forehead, his fury flaring back to life. "BUT WE'RE NOT! WE'RE TRAPPED HERE UNTIL WE DIE!" The monster took threatening steps toward Ed, the volume of his voice lowering slightly so that he could build up to a crescendo again. "The only good thing about this turn of events is this: since Father won't be using you as a sacrifice now, I CAN KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Envy grabbed him by the ponytail and flung him several yards away in the direction of a large slab of concrete. Upon impact, Ed felt the head wound from his fight with Scar reopen. As fresh, hot blood seeped through his bandage and trickled down the side of his face, Ed turned to confront the Homunculus, but Envy was too fast. Strong, merciless hands wrapped around Ed's throat, cutting of his air supply. As the boy's legs gave way, the monster let his full weight force his victim into the depths of the sanguinary ocean. The bloody waters closed over Ed's head. He couldn't see; he couldn't breathe. _I can't die here_, he thought frantically. _What's Al gonna do if I die?_ Just before his brain shut down from lack of oxygen, Ed felt the pressure of the death grip release sharply. He sat up, gasping and choking. Envy had stumbled away from him, yelling and cursing in pain as his arms regenerated. The hands which had been strangling Ed disintegrated into dust, and the small blonde looked around eagerly for his rescuer.

"Are you okay, Ed?" called Ling, rushing in to deal Envy another cut with his keen blade.

"I'll live," came the hoarse reply. For a minute or so, Ed watched the Xingese prince slice again and again at the Homunculus. Once he had fully gathered his wits, he shouted, "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" To his surprise, the two combatants heeded his outcry.

"What, pipsqueak?" spat Envy.

"Before you try and kill us, I want to know something. What is your Father's plan, in full? How does he intend to use that nationwide Transmutation Circle?"

Envy's eyes narrowed, but his sinister grin spread. "Since there's nothing you can do to stop it anymore, I'll humor you. On the Day of Reckoning, Father will use the circle to absorb the souls of every single inhabitant of this country. Beyond that, I don't know or care; I don't pay much attention when he rambles about that part."

"But, in order for this plan to succeed, he needs it to stay secret. So, if anyone in the military found out about it too soon, they'd have to be silenced. That's why you bastards killed Hughes, isn't it?"

"Oh, Hughes?" Envy suddenly burst into uproarious laughter. "Now there's a topic to improve my mood! I remember it like it was only yesterday! The look on his face when I took on the form of his wife and shot him – IT WAS GREAT!"

Ed's hands trembled. "You… _you_ killed him?"

"That's right, brat! The murderer of Brigadier General Hughes is standing _right in front of you!_"

Something snapped inside Edward. Before anyone else could react, the small blonde launched himself at the Envy and landed a solid, automail punch on the monster's jaw. Much to the boy's horror, the Homunculus barely budged an inch.

"Okay, _that's it_," growled Envy, grabbing Ed's wrist and shoving him backward. "I'm gonna show you boys something special before you die. Consider it a parting gift!"

The monster's skin darkened to a sickening shade of green, and his body swelled like a boil.

"Did you happen to see his footprints in the forest?" asked Ling.

"What? No, why?"

"It's just that he's freakishly heavy for his size. He might be a bit bigger than he looks."

A hulking form now towered over the two boys, the details of its writhing body lost in the darkness. When it lowered it almost doglike face into the faint aura of light, it grinned maliciously and spoke in a deeper version of Envy's voice, "So, then, what shall we play? Hide-and-seek, or just plain old tag?" When the alchemist and the prince remained frozen in terror, the monster added, "Either way, you two should probably start running."

"Come on!" Ling yelled, grabbing Ed by the arm and pulling him along. They ran as quickly as the bloody terrain would allow, clambering over rubble whenever possible. However, Envy's mountainous transformation still retained considerable speed. Before Ed and Ling could escape his range, Envy's thick, scaly tail whipped the surface of the crimson lake, sending a small tidal wave of blood cascading over the two humans. The force of the current knocked Ed off of his feet, nearly impaling him on splintered beams of rotted wood.

"Ed!" Ling's voice echoed through the nothingness that made up the ceiling.

"I'm okay!" Ed replied. He was thinking at top-speed, and at last he decided. _After all_, he reasoned, _Envy won't be able to see what I'm doing in this darkness_. Earnestly hoping he was making the right choice, Edward slipped the ash wand out of his pocket. There would be no reason to hesitate this time; Envy truly was a monster.

"_Confringo_," Ed incanted under his breath, pointing the wand at the enormous, green shape. Immediately, a blast of fiery light shot from the tip, hitting Envy's midriff. The explosive impact nearly ripped the Homunculus in half. Gallons of thick, boiling blood sprayed like a hose over the area, and chunks of wriggling flesh landed in the swamp of churning filth.

"WHAT THE HELL?" shrieked Envy in a distorted voice. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

"_Reducto_," whispered Ed from behind a large section of a ruined building. This time, the Homunculus's entire body burst into tiny fragments of dust, floating down like volcanic ash.

"Wow," whistled Ling, emerging from under a corroded car. "How did you do that?"

"The details would go right over your head," said Ed cautiously, stowing his wand back in its hiding place. The two boys waded toward the spot where the enormous form of Envy had stood.

"So… did you kill him?"

"Obviously, but Al told me that each Homunculus has a Philosopher's Stone as its core, so Envy probably had enough energy left in his to regenerate himself."

"In that case, we should keep a sharp eye out."

As if in response to Ling's advice, a tentacle shot out of the murk, looped around Ed's left ankle, and yanked him airborne. Only the strength of his automail leg kept the joint from snapping as the tendril suspended him a dozen feet above the ground. When Ling attempted to come to his friend's aid, a half-formed arm broke the surface and swatted him away with ease.

"Ling!" However worried Ed was for the prince, his attention was quickly drawn to the hideous monster as it finished rebuilding itself. The pulsating mass holding him aloft could now be traced back to Envy's lolling tongue, a sight which only added to the young alchemist's disgust toward his enemy.

"I gotcha," purred Envy.

Ed pressed his hands together, but before he could transmute, more ropes of inhuman flesh tied his arms to his sides, wrapping around his middle entirely.

"Uh, uh," chided the Homunculus. "No alchemy for you, pipsqueak."

"QUIT CALLING ME A PIPSQEUAK!" Ed half-screamed, fed up with the monster's taunts.

Envy laughed heartlessly. "Just look at you, wriggling helplessly, too stubborn and stupid to realize you've already lost. Typical human behavior."

"SHUT UP!" But Envy was right. Even if Ed hadn't been overly cautious of using his wand, he couldn't even reach his back pocket. His situation really did seem hopeless.

"You humans never learn," the Homunculus continued. "You always have the same weaknesses, the same fears. That's why it's so easy for us to manipulate you like puppets. Take Ishval for example. All I had to do was pose as a soldier and shoot an innocent child, and the whole region went to pieces! I RAVAGED THEIR COUNTRY WITH A SINGLE BULLET! What a _masterpiece!_ My _opus magnum!_"

Blood rushed to the small blonde's head; not only was Envy the monster who'd killed Hughes, but he was also the one ultimately responsible for the Ishvalan war, for Scar being the way he was, for the deaths of Winry's parents?

"You heartless ba-" Suddenly, the fleshy cords around Ed tightened, squeezing the air out of him.

"Ah, well," interrupted Envy, "we've had our fun, pipsqueak, but now I really am going to kill you. Slowly, _agonizingly_. I'm going to crush you and watch the light in your eyes go out."

He meant it. A breathless Ed could no longer even struggle against the python-like grip. He could feel his bones groaning under the pressure, but he did not cry out; he wasn't about to give Envy the pleasure of hearing him scream.

"ED!" yelled Ling, finally reappearing on the scene, clutching his side. Ed could faintly see blood leaking through the prince's loose, open shirt, but darkness was seeping in, clouding his vision. The sounds of swinging steel and the pained cries of many voices met Ed's ears, but they were distorted and distant. His ribs and left arm finally gave way to the compressing force. _I'm really going to die this time_, he mused remorsefully as his brain began to slow down. Then, the small bit of sight he retained noticed something: a slab of rock with part of an elaborate transmutation circle carved into it. Ed recognized it as a missing chunk of the array of which Hohenheim had given him a drawing. _Their boss had Gluttony swallow some of the pieces to hide the evidence, I guess_. As he looked at the diagram, the meaning of the alchemical symbols sunk it: an upside-down symbol for "god", a lion swallowing a red sun... _Could this mean…?_

"Envy," Ed wheezed, barely able to make a sound, "stop… way out... maybe…"

The Homunculus had pinned Ling to a dead tree in preparation for the final blow, but, hearing Ed's words, he hesitated. "What's that, pipsqueak? You think you may have found an exit? That's rich."

"No… really…" Ed was losing consciousness at an alarming rate.

"What have you got to lose by believing him, Envy?" shouted Ling. "You can always go back to killing us if it doesn't work."

Envy narrowed his eyes. "Fair enough." The monster released Ling first, and the prince rushed toward Ed, catching the small blonde as Envy dropped him to the floor.

"Now you've just got to hope you didn't kill him in those last few seconds," said Ling sourly.

Ed coughed, grinning at Ling. "You don't… honestly think… I'm _that_ pathetic?"

Eventually, the young alchemist regained control of his senses. Ling tied a short stick to Ed's left forearm as a splint, but the broken ribs would just have to wait.

"So, what's this ingenious plan of yours?" Envy mocked.

Ed stood shakily and pointed to the slab of the transmutation circle. "That's what your leader, the Original Homunculus, used in Xerxes, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, from what it describes, he used Human Transmutation on himself to gain power, correct?"

"Yes, now get to the point!"

"It shows that Human Transmutation works on the living, which gave me an idea. Maybe if we were to pass through the real Portal of Truth, we'll wind up in our own reality."

"You've lost me," moaned Ling.

"Look, I'll transmute myself; I'll break myself down, and then just put myself back together. That still counts as Human Transmutation, and it'll open the Portal. When it does, you two jump in it."

"And what if something goes wrong?" asked Envy.

"Then the transmutation will rebound on the person who performed it: me." Ed paused as he noticed for the first time why the enormous Homunculus's skin kept moving. Thousands of tormented, pain-stricken faces churned inside of Envy, mirroring the equally trapped souls he had consumed. _That's why I heard so many voices when Ling attacked him before_, he realized. The effect of this image twisted Ed's gut into knots, but he plowed forward. "Envy, there's something I need to ask you."

"Way ahead of you; I know where this is going. You need a toll, right? To open the Portal?" The monster's mouth opened wider so that the two boys could see a glowing, red stone imbedded in the back of Envy's tongue. "This'll work."

Ed grit his teeth, his conscience stabbing him over what he was about to do.

"Is that pity in your eyes? How childish are you?" Envy shook his massive head disapprovingly. "These souls have been inside of me so long, they don't even remember who they were or what they looked like; they can never go back to being human. All that's left is energy to be consumed."

Not at all reassured by this speech, Ed took some of the blood from the worldwide ocean and drew a rough transmutation circle. After making sure everything was in place, Ed clapped his hands and pressed them against the array. Blue lighting shot sky-high as the transmutation activated, and a purplish glow emanated from the circle. A white line appeared down the center, opening to form the shape of a large eye.

"This is it!" Ed called to the others. "Jump in it!"

Ling hesitated before stepping inside the circle. "You better know what you're doing!"

As all three of them were deconstructed, Ed looked over at Envy. Some of those tortured souls would cease to exist to pay the toll. Not knowing how else to assuage his guilty conscience, Ed whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

In stark contrast to his previous dark surroundings, Ed now found himself in a white void. As he landed painfully on the invisible horizontal plane, he heard the _SLAM_ of large doors behind him. Wincing as he supported himself on his right arm, Ed faced his Portal of Truth.

"All right, I made it," he sighed. Turning to look behind him, something caught Ed's eye. "Were there always two Portals?"

Then, he noticed something else, something unbelievable, wonderful, and agonizing all at once. Sitting cross-legged in front of the opposite set of stone doors was a boy. His long, golden hair didn't conceal the fact that he was practically skin and bones. Slowly, the boy looked over his shoulder at Edward, and the young alchemist's heart leapt into his mouth. Golden eyes so like his own gazed at him from a sunken, yet unforgettably familiar face.

"Alphonse," Ed breathed in utter shock. Unable to remain apart for another second, he bolted toward his little brother, but even as he did so, the Portal that had brought him here opened to take him onward. Black hands darted out of it, latching onto him, pulling him back.

"NO!" Ed screamed. After all this, he would not leave Al in this terrible place. He whipped out his wand. "_Relashio!_" To his surprise and relief, the hands released him. Closing the distance, Ed reached the long-neglected body of Alphonse Elric.

"Al! Come on, let's go!" When the boy made no effort to move, Ed grabbed the scrawny wrists and gently, but insistently pulled. "Come on, Al. Hurry!"

Alphonse rose and calmly met his brother's pleading eyes. "I can't."

Ed's stomach suddenly felt heavy as lead. "What? Why?"

"I can only leave with my own soul. I'm sorry, I can't go with you."

For a moment, the two stood in silence. Then Al, reading Ed's tormented expression, pulled his brother into a tender hug.

"I… I don't want… to go back… without you," said Ed, his voice coming in bursts.

"You must," Al replied sadly, yet comfortingly. In a more serious tone, he added, "Things are going to get much, much worse, but you can push through, I know it. And I'll be waiting right here until you bring me home."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Ed drew in a deep breath as he pulled back to look Alphonse in the face, trying to preserve the moment as long as possible. Then, as much as it pained him, as much as his mind, body, and soul screamed in protest, he let go of Al. Sensing his resignation, the black hands wound around him and dragged him toward the unknowable void. Just before the doors of his Portal closed on him, cutting him off from the goal he had sought for so long, Ed called out to the emaciated body.

"Alphonse! Look at me! Someday soon, I _promise_ I'm coming back for you!" He reached toward his little brother in desperation. "Just you wait! WAIT FOR ME!"

He caught one last glimpse of Al's sad smile, and then darkness consumed him once more.

* * *

When Edward finally regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was a suit of armor worriedly pulling strands of gooey green flesh off of him.

"Al? You're back in your armor, so that means…" Chuckling softly, he fist-bumped with Ling.

"We're back in the real world," sighed Ling in relief, completing Ed's thought.

"I guess so."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Alphonse wrapped his strong arms around Ed's middle and lifted him with ease. "BROTHER!"

Ed's ribs vehemently objected to this display of affection, being broken and bruised enough already. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!"

"You're safe! I'm so happy you're alright!"

"Al," the small blonde wheezed, "you're crushing my chest!"

Made aware that he was causing more harm than good, Al set his older brother back on the ground. His armor trembled slightly as he confessed, "I thought… I thought you were dead."

Compassion welled up in Ed; he knew first-hand how terrifying that thought was: that his brother was lost forever. "But I'm not, Al. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Now," Ed transitioned, getting to his feet and looking around, "where exactly did we end up?"

"Now, this is interesting: people emerging from his stomach?" said a deep, chilling voice. The owner stepped into the light, and Ed had to double-take.

"What the… Hohenheim?"

Al shook his head vigorously, "No, Brother. _This_ is the leader of the Homunculi; they call him their Father."

"What? Really?" Ed gaped at the tall, pale being, who seemed to be deep in thought.

After a moment, the strange man asked, "Could it be that you are the Elric Brothers?"

"What's it to you?" Ed snapped, thoroughly disturbed by this guy's resemblance to Hohenheim.

Interpreting the meaning of Ed's gaze, the Homunculus said, "Did you mistake me for someone else? Let's see… Ho-hen…" Suddenly, an idea came to him. "The name you say – by any chance do you mean Van Hohenheim? And how is it that the two of you are acquainted with him?"

Al beat Ed to the punch. "Well, he's our father."

This information took a moment to sink in, but then the strange man smiled rather pleasantly. "He's your father?" he cried in delight, grabbing Ed by the shoulders and taking a good look at the boy. "This is indeed surprising! I had no idea he had children!" The Homunculus laughed genially as he patted the top of Ed's head, much to the small blonde's chagrin.

"But, if you are indeed his progeny, then why is it your family name is 'Elric'?"

This question pushed Ed over the edge; he threw off the Homunculus's clammy hand and said tensely, "Elric is our mother's last name. But, never mind that! If you really are the boss around here, then it's high time I gave you a piece of my mi-"

"No!" Al warned, pulling Ed back by the left arm. "Brother, you can't underestimate him!" Ed winced visibly as Al continued to hold his damaged limb, catching Father's attention.

"It would appear that you're injured," he commented passively, adding to Al, "and you're missing your left hand, aren't you?" He touched the rough edge where Al's hand had been cut off, and red sparks of energy shot out in all directions. In a few seconds, the missing hand has been completely restored. Both brothers gasped, exchanging a look that clearly said,_ "This is definitely the guy; there isn't any equivalent exchange."_

Before this mental conversation could continue, the tall man snatched Ed's arm out from Al's grasp and noted, "Your arm is broken."

After another burst of alchemical light, Ed tore the splint off of his arm and flexed his fingers. The pain was gone. "It's… not broken anymore." The Homunculus then began giving Ed a pat-down on his torso, resulting in several sounds of complaint from the young alchemist. "Hey! Ah… ow!"

"A few broken ribs, too." Within moments, all of Ed's injuries had been healed. Father faced the brothers, a somber expression on his face. "I consider the two of you to be vital resources; I would appreciate it if you took better care of yourselves."

"Well, you can thank Envy," said Ed, pointing with his thumb at the hulking monster. "My broken bones were his handiwork."

Envy made a noise like a cornered animal as his Father glared harshly at him. "I'll deal with you later," snarled the superior Homunculus threateningly.

Desperate to redirect Father's ire, Envy growled, "In the meantime, why doesn't the pipsqueak tell us _where he's been_ all this time? Months he's been gone without a trace, and he thinks he can just waltz back into town without explaining his absence?"

"That is indeed a subject on which I am most curious," conceded the pale being.

Faced with the direction this conversation was taking, Ed's hand instinctively edged toward his back pocket, but he didn't dare to draw his wand. However, before the Homunculi could press the matter further, Ling approached the villains, sword raised. "What _are_ you?" he demanded. "What the hell's inside you?"

Father sneered are the prince. "I'd ask who you are, but I honestly don't care." Turning to Gluttony, he concluded, "You can eat him."

"Okaaaay," sang the stubby Homunculus.

"Wait!" Ed protested, placing himself between the monster and its prospective meal. "Ling's our friend, and you want to keep us happy, right? So, don't kill him, please!"

"But I have no need of him," said Father apathetically. "Your friendship doesn't make him any less useless to me. As far as I'm concerned, he's an ant on the ground, not even worth my consideration. In fact, that would be an accurate summation of my feelings toward all you humans."

Ed's nostrils flared; he would not let these belittling insults stand. "Some of that can go _both_ ways! You may have healed our injuries, but that does _not_ mean we're friends! I'm gonna take you down; I don't care how many cronies you've got!"

"Just who are you calling a crony, pipsqueak?" asked Envy.

At this point, Ed's patience was stretched beyond its limits. Rather than say anything more, his frustration came out in the form of an enraged yell as he pressed his palms together. Al made to follow suit, but Envy leapt on top of him, pinning the younger Elric's arms to the floor separately. Edward extended his hand-blade, but the distraction of his brother's plight slowed him down. Before the young alchemist could even attack, Father had taken hold of the boy's wrists, forcing the transmuted blade to regress into its original form with just a touch.

"What the-" Ed snapped. "Lemme go, you bearded bastard!"

"I will not permit you to behave so childishly in my home."

Ed kicked at the Homunculus, but the fiend made no reaction to the onslaught.

"Ling!" Ed called over his shoulder. "Get out of here! They'll only kill you if you stay!"

"Not a chance," the Xingese prince retorted. "I won't just leave you and Al here in their hands!" He raised his sword as Gluttony leapt toward him, but it was too late. Gluttony clamped his enormous jaws around the blade of Ling's weapon and trapped the prince under his heavy body.

"No!" Ed tugged uselessly against Father's grip. "No, don't kill him! He's got people waiting for him to come home!"

"Let him go, please!" Al pleaded.

Gluttony opened his mouth wide, ready to snap off the prince's head in a single bite. Ling closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.

"Wait."

The tubby monster looked confusedly at his Father upon hearing this command. The Head of the Homunculi stared hard at Ling, scrutinizing him. "You may be of some use to me after all," he said at last. He released Edward, but two transmuted pillars grew from the ground immediately after, each one encasing one of Ed's wrists, keeping his arms as far away from each other as possible.

"Just so you don't get any ideas," Father said quietly to the small blonde.

Ed spat at the Homunculus in angry revulsion, but the villain paid little mind to the boy's tantrum. He glided across the stone floor toward Ling.

"As I was saying, you might not be completely worthless. I could always use a new pawn in the rotation."

Ed couldn't see what the bearded bastard was doing, but he knew it couldn't be good. Al, who had a much better view of the situation, gasped as Father held something in his hand.

"Is that… a Philosopher's Stone?" asked the younger Elric.

"You're really gonna do that?" followed Envy, posing the question directly to his Father.

"Do what?" demanded Ed.

Envy's hideous smile widened. "He's going to make a new Homunculus." Turning back to watch the scene progress, he elaborated, "The Stone is added to the bloodstream. If it bonds successfully with the host, then a human-based Homunculus is created. But, it's much more common for the Stone to kill the host instead."

Ed pulled at his bonds, yelling, "I'm not gonna let you do this to him!" Panic had started to take hold of him, screaming at him to move, to save his friend.

"Are you ready to attack now, boy?" a blazing voice asked, nearly searing the inside of Ed's brain with its power.

The small blonde bit his lip. _Who… what are you?_

"Damn it all, brat. I thought you were intelligent. Do you want my help _or not_?"

Ed nodded ever so slightly, accepting that the spirit of the dragon within the heartstring of his wand was somehow capable of communicating with him (he'd have to ask Hermione about this when he made it back to Hogwarts… if he made it back).

"Focus, boy! Call me, summon me with all of your strength… and I will come."

Time had nearly run out; Father was getting closer to Ling every second, extending his hand toward an open cut on the prince's face. Ripping his attention away from his surroundings, Ed focused his entire mind on the ash wand in his back pocket. _Come. Come here. Now!_

He felt a whoosh as the sliver of wood slipped out from its hiding place and stuck to his hand like a magnet. To his surprise, the previously white ash wood had turned a deep, rusty red. _From all the blood in Gluttony's stomach? _Ed wondered. There was no longer time for subtlety; Ed gripped the wand, pointed it at the column trapping his left hand, and cried, "_Bombarda_!"

* * *

A/N: **CLIFFHANGER!** The plot continues to thicken! It should be fun to see how everything turns out… *maniacal laughter ensues* The next chapter will be long, I guarantee.

On the EdWin matter, I figured she would make the first move (being an emotional girl and all). You might not see Winry again until… the end of the story. I haven't decided… But, as she said, Ed will figure "it" out eventually, whether she's actually there or not.

I was tempted to squeeze in the "Elric Brother Telepathy" moment, but it just wouldn't have been the same without the visuals.

Alphonse's body! O.O That poor boy needs a sandwich T.T… and a hug (and some clothes XD).


	11. A Secret No Longer

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: **IMPORTANT** **– I added about three and a half pages worth of content to the end of the previous chapter to lengthen it. Please read it before starting this chapter, or you'll be completely lost.**

Well, I've managed to survive my first week at college and still write this… somewhat…

This chapter has plenty of _Brotherhood_ content, but the _HP_ cat is about to escape the proverbial bag…

Again, if you want details of the _Brotherhood_ events, just watch the show. You can see all the glory of Ling's transf-*SPOILER BLOCK* XD

Starting in this chapter, I'm really going to exercise my fanfiction-writing "privileges," but I will strive to maintain plausibility. Enjoy…

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**A Secret No Longer**

The stone restraint around Ed's left wrist shattered, and he quickly destroyed its twin with another Blasting Charm.

"What the hell?" Envy gaped, his attention now glued onto the young alchemist. "How are you doing that?"

Ed answered this question with a Conjunctivitis Curse; when the spell hit the enormous monster directly in the eyes, the resulting swelling sent Envy into howls of pain and anger.

"What did you do to me, _you little brat_? I can't see!"

Ed now pointed his wand at Father, but the Homunculus did not flinch. He merely raised a curious eyebrow. "What is that weapon, child?"

"Your worst nightmare," Ed retorted. But, just as Ed opened his mouth to utter another curse, Ling cut him off.

"Don't shoot, Ed! This is exactly what I want!"

The small blonde rounded on his friend. "What?"

"I came to this country to get a Philosopher's Stone, and now this guy wants to give one to me. I'm not gonna turn this down!"

"You're crazy!" Ed snapped. "Do you have any idea what you're saying, you idiot?"

"Ignore him!" urged the voice of Ed's wand, egging on the reluctant wizard with sharp stabs of pain. "Get moving! Blast that monster into oblivion!"

"Oh?" Father inserted, looking interestedly at Ling. "So you desire my avarice, human? Well, let's see if your body is as willing as your mind."

"No, don't!" But Ed's cry came too late; the mass of living souls fell from Father's hand onto Ling's face and crawled its way under his skin. Immediately, red lightning shot out of Ling's body on all sides. Gluttony fell off of the Xingese prince and scrambled away to watch from a safer distance. Ed gazed in horror as his friend was torn apart from within over and over, only to be forced back together by the energy of the Stone.

"Ling!"

"… don't… don't you dare interfere," Ling threatened, pointing an accusatory finger at the small blonde. "Trust me, I know… what I'm doing. You're looking at the future emperor of Xing, Ling Yao!" Blood poured from the prince's mouth, and excruciating pain lifted him to his knees, contorting his back to such an extent Ed wondered how he didn't fall back to the floor. Ling's screams echoed throughout the underground chamber. Despite the throbbing in his arm, Ed remained frozen. What could he do? What _should_ he do?

"Now," said Father calmly, turning his back on Ling and facing Edward, "there's a little matter we need to settle."

Realizing one instant too late what the Homunculus was planning, Ed tried to throw a last-second spell, but the villain knocked the weapon out of his hand with pure force. The wand clattered to the floor, far out of Ed's reach.

"Gluttony," Father commanded, "dispose of that thing."

"Okay," said the fat Homunculus as he tottered over to the wand. Picking up the sliver of wood, Gluttony held it above his open mouth.

"No!" Ed shouted, extending his will to the wand. _Come on! Defend yourself!_ As if on cue, the ash wand spewed what looked like molten lava into the Homunculus's mouth, sending it spilling over onto the rest of his body.

"Ow!" Gluttony whined. "Hot! Hot! What's it doing? Faaa-ther!"

"Just put it back, then," Father sighed, waving a dismissive hand at his simple-minded son. Turning his penetrating gaze back on Edward, the Homunculus clamped a strong hand around the boy's throat. "What is this sorcery, Edward Elric?"

"You're not… getting a word… out of me," grunted Ed as his esophagus began to feel the pressure of Father's grip.

"I see," Father growled, his eyes narrowing. "As it turns out, I don't need you to _say_ anything." Even though the constricting force remained around Ed's neck, trapping him in place, Father's fingers crept up along one side of the boy's face.

"Brother!" Al cried, still pinned under a blinded, but unmoved Envy. "Brother, get away from him!"

Father's other hand mirrored its fellow, and still, Ed could not run away. In desperation, he attacked with alchemy… to no effect. Father acted as though an insect had just bitten him, nothing more.

Al continued to scream, unable to stop the scene unfolding in front of him. "Don't you _dare_ touch him, you monster! Ed! ED!"

The villain locked eyes with the small blonde. "This is your last chance to tell me… before I hurt you."

"I won't."

"Very well, then." Without another word, Father's fingers pressed against the boy's skull until they broke through. Pain consumed Ed's thoughts, but not just the physical. A far more agonizing sensation latched onto his very soul, binding him to his enemy.

_Get out!_ Ed's mind screamed.

_**You foolish human child**_, echoed Father's voice inside of him._**Do you actually think the strength of your one soul is enough to force me out?**_ The villain was prying open every corner of his mind, his soul, laying bare every secret. _**Ah**_**,** he said at last, _**there it is**_**.**

Images of Ed's time in England, in the Wizarding World, flashed before his eyes: Mad-Eye Moody, Grimmauld Place, the Weasley twins, Hermione, Dumbledore, Harry, Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Luna, Kevin, the Grey Lady…

_Stop it! Stop it, now!_

_**This is magnificent**_**,** Father marveled. _**How could Hohenheim have managed to keep this from me for so long? The possibilities this power of magic possesses, they make my previous plans look paltry in comparison! Just think of all I can accomplish with this knowledge!**_

_I won't let you-_

_**You won't let me? Oh, you truly have inherited Hohenheim's stubbornness, young one. It always amused me, the way he was so confident in the abilities of humans, in their potential. What a fool.**_

_Don't you call my father a fool, you bastard! Only I get to call him that! _Only vaguely aware of his physical actions, Ed raised trembling arms and uselessly tried to push Father away. He could hear Al's voice in the distance, but the cries of thousands of human souls were quickly overwhelming the one familiar call of "Brother!"

_Now that you have your information, what are you going to do with me?_ Ed asked the Homunculus.

Father's mental grip tightened, like that of an enormous snake around its powerless prey. _**Of all my sacrifices, you have been the most trouble. You need to be more closely monitored, more… controlled.**_

Ed couldn't easily describe what happened next. Father… _changed_ something inside of him, but Ed couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was. All he knew was that it was wrong, _terribly_ wrong.

* * *

Alphonse had only screamed like this once before, when the Ishvalan serial killer, Scar, had been about to take away the one person he had left in this world. Now, he watched just as helplessly as the one called Father tortured that same person. "BROTHER! BROTHER!"

"Shut up, brat!" Envy rebuked, the swelling around his eyes having finally receded.

Ling (who, during Father's forceful interrogation of Ed, had reintroduced himself as the new Greed) regarded the entrance to the large room and pointed. "Hey, Pops. I think we have some more guests."

The Homunculus finally pulled his attention away from the trembling form of his victim, and Al also followed Greed's gaze. Framed dramatically in the doorway stood Scar, his face stern and his hand dripping with the blood of a chimera that lay slain at his feet. Peeking out from behind the tall Ishvalan was a young girl with braided black hair and luminous obsidian eyes. As soon as she noticed Alphonse, the younger Elric felt a tingling inside of him that had nothing to do with the miniature panda bear he'd stowed inside his armor. If he'd still possessed a face of flesh, he might have blushed. To his dismay, however, the girl fixed him with a glare labeling him as an enemy. Only when the tiny black-and-white creature crawled out from Al's torso and scampered toward her did a smile return to her face.

"Xiao Mei!" she cried joyfully, embracing the panda as it leapt into her arms. "Thank goodness! You're okay."

The monster who had only minutes ago been Ling Yao clapped enthusiastically. "Oh, now _that_ is a touching reunion right there."

Scar locked eyes with Al, and a silent understanding passed between them; the Ishvalan warrior must have mistakenly thought that Al, following Gluttony into the sewers, had joined forces with the Homunculi, but the situation was now clear.

Noticing the elder Elric brother in Father's grasp, Scar mused aloud, "And they've also got Fullmetal."

The small girl suddenly became quite interested in the conversation. "Huh? Where is he? Where is Mr. Edward?"

"Over there," Scar pointed. The girl scoured the room with her eyes, then threw Scar a skeptical look. "He's not really here, is he?"

"I'm telling you, he's right there. That little guy is the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Needless to say, it was obvious to Al that Ed wasn't in a state to greet this apparent fan; at the moment, the small blonde was trying to pry Father's fingers out of his head, his face contorted with unimaginable pain. The poor little girl must have had some grandiose vision of what Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was supposed to look like, because the sight of a dirty, short boy only a few years older than herself seemed to register as an immense shock. In fact, she started crying in earnest, "How dare he toy with the feelings of a maiden? That human micron!"

"Hey!" Al shouted, speaking up in his brother's place. "Don't call my brother a micron, especially when _you_ aren't exactly tall yourself! Besides, my brother wouldn't do something as cruel as you're suggesting!"

Al was pretty sure the girl would have shouted some kind of insult back at him if Gluttony hadn't then said, "It's the Ishvalan I never got to eat. Can I eat him, Father?"

"Stupid, he'll just rip you apart like before," Envy chided his foolish younger brother. Looking to his leader for instructions, the large Homunculus added, "Are you finished with the pipsqueak yet, Father?"

"…yes," Father replied after a tense pause, "For now, at least. I'll give you the details once we deal with these intruders."

* * *

At long last, Edward felt Father's fingers retract from his skull. Almost instantly, the wounds left by the Homunculus's intrusion into his mind closed over – enough to stop the bleeding, at least. Drained of all his energy, Ed dropped to the floor numb and limp. Voices rang around him: one was Al's, another unfamiliar… although, for a moment, it almost sounded like Ling's. Did that mean he had survived the Stone's onslaught? But, the two voices weren't alone; it seemed that newcomers had entered the chamber: one's tone was deep and calloused, and the other's was small and cheerful. In an outer recess of his mind, Ed realized the two strangers were talking about him, but he couldn't focus in on their exact words. Through his swimming field of vision, Ed noticed a thin sliver of red lying on the neutral background of the stone floor: his wand.

"Get up, boy!" the dragon's spirit thundered. "Don't waste time coming for me now; get up and fight that demon!" A burning vitality surged through Ed's lifeless limbs, giving him the strength to rise.

"Brother!" Al cried. "Are you okay?"

Ed coughed before replying feebly, "A little worse for wear, but I'll live." Finally taking notice of Scar and the little girl with him, the young alchemist vaguely recognized the latter as the Ishvalan's accomplice from the previous day. Ed staggered as he tried to steady his weight on his shaking legs. Father, sensing the boy's desire to return to battle, fixed Edward with a commanding gaze. Something in that stare paralyzed Ed; it was as if a barrier formed throughout his entire body, fitting snugly under his skin. Trying to ignore this creepy sensation, Ed pressed his hands together. To his horror, the flow of energy he normally felt when transmuting was completely absent. He tried to complete the alchemical rite several times with no success.

Ed glared at Father. "Bastard! What did you do to me?"

The villain made no reply; rather, he surveyed the room and sighed, "You humans really are pests." With that, he slid one foot forward slightly, and, as he pressed down onto the stone floor, a wave of stifling energy swept outward from him, washing over everyone present. When the resulting wind settled, Envy laughed. "You can go ahead and eat the Ishvalan, Gluttony. He won't be able to use his alchemy now!"

"What?" Scar asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think I am so easily left powerless, monster?" Gluttony charged toward Scar, and the Ishvalan warrior scooted his small companion to the side. "Move, girl!" As soon as she was out of the line of fire, Scar's full attention and rage fixed on his attacker. His right hand decisively clenched, caught Gluttony full in the face, and sent an explosive surge of alchemical force through the Homunculus's body. The bloodied bulk fell to the floor as it began to regenerate its top half, and Scar confidently stepped over the twitching corpse. "Next?"

"How can you use your alchemy here?" Envy demanded, taken aback.

"I don't know what you mean, beast, and, even if I did, I have no obligation to answer you."

Envy grit his teeth in indignation. Ed, who by now had regained his footing, ran at Father's back to strike from behind, but the Homunculus predicted his move easily. He grabbed the left leg with which Ed attacked and lazily tossed the young alchemist in one swift movement. Expecting to land painfully on stone, Ed was surprised to feel a strong, weathered hand grab the front of his shirt just before impact. His relief, however, was short-lived: the one who now had hold of him was Scar. The burly Ishvalan narrowed his hate-filled eyes, cracking the knuckles of his right hand.

"There's still a moment left for you to pray before I end your life, young alchemist."

"I'm pretty sure we've been over this before," Ed laughed nervously. _Surely_, he thought, _with a more important common enemy in the room, Scar can hold off on his personal vendetta… right?_ Unfortunately, Ed's guess seemed to be wrong as the Ishvalan warrior brought his hand of destruction closer and closer to Ed's face.

"Brother, what are you doing? Don't just sit there! Run!"

Ed tried to heed Al's advice, but between Scar's firm grip on a large handful of his shirt and his own grogginess from Father's mental onslaught, he wasn't going anywhere.

"Wait!" Ed cried, trying to hold back Scar's hand despite the obvious difference in their strengths, "Wait, please! There's something important I need to tell you! It's about Ishval – about the war!"

Scar pushed through Ed's feeble attempt to hinder him until his palm touched the small blonde's forehead. "What is it? Go on, speak… but if I think you're lying, even for an instant, I'll kill you."

"The incident that started the war – the death of that child – I know who the real culprit was."

"What Amestrian trickery are you babbling about, boy?"

"It's not a trick, I swear! It's the truth! It was Envy, disguised as a soldier! Those guys are responsible for the entire war!" After a pause, Ed added, "Please, I have no reason to lie to you."

"And what reason do I have to believe that?"

"None. I guess… you'd just have to trust me."

Scar searched the boy's sincere face, and the two came to a kind of unspoken understanding. Releasing Ed and pulling him to his feet, Scar refocused his vengeful gaze on the Homunculi. "I'd like to hear more details about this… in-between your screaming." As if the timing had been planned, Gluttony jumped at Scar from behind only to receive another dose of deconstructive punishment. Ed, getting the feeling he should give his temporary ally some space, backed away from the Ishvalan. Scar continued, his voice taking on a growling tone, "Why did you see fit to slaughter my people? Tell me! Depending on your answer, I'll send you to join God! ...no, you don't deserve to stand by God's side with my fallen brothers! Your only solace from my wrath will be damnation!" With those chilling words, Scar slammed his right hand against the floor, and the stone split like plaster. Where before the surface had been a smooth solid, now it rose and fell in great chunks, like a concrete ocean.

The first person Ed saw emerge from the chaos was his brother, running full-tilt away from Envy, who was screaming, "Get back here, brat!"

"Brother!" Al called as he reached the small blonde. "Are you okay?"

"You asked that less than five minutes ago."

"That doesn't make it any less of a relevant question."

"If you two boys are done chatting," Scar interrupted, "I thought you were going to fight these monsters."

The Ishvalan's condescending glare made every hair on the back of Ed's neck stand on end. "W… we will, but don't feel any need to wait for us."

"Fine, then." Scar barreled over the broken chunks of stone toward Father until he dropped out of sight.

"So, what'd I miss?" Ed asked his little brother. Al explained succinctly about Ling… or rather, Greed.

Ed cursed, slamming an angry fist against the ground in frustration. "Well, I guess there's nothing for it: we should go help out, alchemy or no alchemy. Scar has no idea what he's in for if he went after the boss."

Al made to follow his brother toward the battle, but something caught his eye. "Brother! That little girl who was with Scar, I think she's in trouble, too. Gluttony is-"

"Go on then, Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor," said Ed, shooing off his brother with a grin. Al hurdled a slab of cracked rock and went to the girl's aid, leaving Ed to find his own fight. As the young alchemist reached the top of a slanted piece of the floor, he saw a familiar raven-haired prince striding past him below.

"I know you're still in there, Ling!" he called.

The being looked up at him and smirked with an inhuman air. "Nope, just Greed."

Ed leapt down from his perch and swiped at the new Homunculus. As soon as their battle commenced, Ed couldn't pay much attention to what was going on around him. In his peripheral vision, he saw Al carry the little girl out through the main entrance, followed by Scar and quickly pursued by Envy and Gluttony. Father stood by as Ed and Greed carried on with their duel.

"Oh-ho!" the Homunculus laughed as Ed's automail foot bounced off of his Ultimate Shield. "That was a good strong kick. You're doing quite well, for a human."

Greed slashed a clawed hand toward Ed, and the young alchemist blocked it with his right arm. "Wake up, Ling!" Ed yelled.

"It's Greed."

"Shut up! Give Ling his body back!"

"Sorry, no-can-do!" Greed pushed hard against his small opponent, forcing him back. Ed revised his strategy and tackled the monster from above. Once the Homunculus was on the ground, Ed focused his anger at both Ling and Greed.

"You idiot! How could you have given your body over to this monster? What about your country – becoming emperor and all that? Have you forgotten all about Lan-Fan?"

At the sound of her name, Greed's eyes widened, as if a distant memory had just been sparked. Seizing his opportunity, Ed landed a haymaker against Ling's cheek… and blood trickled out of the Homunculus's mouth. Shocked with his own success, Ed dropped his guard for one second too long: Greed flipped the young alchemist and pinned him by the left arm, twisting it painfully. "Hey, Pops!" the monster called, "I got him for you."

"Excellent. Now, we just wait for Envy and Gluttony to retrieve the younger brother."

Looking around in desperation, Ed saw a glimmer of hope protruding from a nearby heap of rubble: the ash wand. With fresh motivation, Ed threw Greed off of him and crawled toward his weapon. When he reached the spot, however, two black-booted feet had beaten him to it.

"Looking for this?" a seductive voice purred. Looking up, Ed saw a beautiful woman dangling his wand just out of his reach.

"Lust," Ed growled, "so you are alive."

"Ha, we never even properly met, and you already know my name? What a clever little boy."

"Don't call me little, you bi-"

"Now, now, watch your manners, Edward. That's not the way you address a woman when you want something from her. Why not try asking nicely?"

Ed might have tried pulling out her hair instead, but Greed had caught up now and pushed Ed to the floor. "Gotcha, kid. Maybe if you cry 'Uncle,' I'll let you up." Turning to his older sister, Greed whistled, "Well, hello, beautiful. Where have you been hiding all my life?"

"Don't be disgusting, Greed. I've been here the whole time, in the shadows. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to show myself yet, but things were getting so far out of hand, I _had_ to rescue the situation."

"Out of hand? I had everything under control."

Lust twiddled the wand between two fingers. "Oh, really? And, what would you have done when he got ahold of _this_ again?" Greed bit his lip guiltily, and Lust laughed. "Why don't we do a little trade? You can hold this wand, and I'll handle our guest."

"Whatever," Greed shrugged, accepting the offered weapon from Lust.

"How is it you can all touch it?" Ed demanded.

"What do you mean, boy?" asked Lust, pausing as she crouched down to take him from Greed.

"Whenever a human other than me touches it, the wand reacts violently against that person."

"Really?" said Greed, eyeing the wand cautiously.

"But we aren't human," Lust pointed out. "Perhaps your weapon senses no threat from us for that reason."

"Then it's being stupid. Hey!" Ed now directed his shouts to the wand itself. "Wake up and fry these two!"

Greed howled with laughter, "Oh, dear, I hope I didn't hit his head too hard."

Ed ignored this skepticism. "What are you waiting for?"

"I can't solve all of your problems, boy," the dragon growled in his mind, more softly than usual, "and, in this instance, fighting is not the wisest of options."

"Oh, so now you're giving me advice?" Ed snapped, letting a tiny bit of British slip out. "That's bloody helpful!"

"What's with the accent, kid?" Greed chortled.

"I'm more interested in who you're talking to," Lust countered.

"Shut up, both of you! Dragon, when we get out of this, you and I are going to have a talk about when fighting is 'the wisest of options'!"

"What dragon?" the two Homunculi asked.

Having returned to his normal dialect, Ed thrashed against Greed's weight. "Fine, then, I'll just do it myself! I don't need a wand to take down these third-rate-"

Lust slapped him across the face, stopping his rant. "Who are you calling third-rate?" she hissed. "That's it, Greed. Give him here."

"He's _all_ _yours_," Greed snickered, implying things Ed didn't at all like. As soon as Greed was off of him, Lust grabbed his left arm and spun him so that he fell backward against her. She quickly wrapped her arms around his middle, holding him to her.

"There," she purred as Greed traipsed back toward their Father, "isn't that better?"

Noticing the uncomfortable sensation of her chest pressing on his shoulder blades, Ed tried to scramble away from the female Homunculus, but her grip was just as strong as any of her brothers'.

"Oh, don't be like that, Edward. We'll just wait here for your little brother to come back, and then we'll get this whole mess straightened out. In the meantime…"

Unable to see what she was doing, Ed unconsciously began to shake with a fear he'd never known before: what exactly did women like Lust _do_ with fifteen-year-old-boys when they had time to kill? He felt something warm and wet touch his ear, and only too late did he realize it was a tongue.

"Get off of me, you sleazy-" Ed tried to elbow the Homunculus, but she trapped his right arm under one of her legs. When he resorted to his left, she stabbed his shoulder with a needle-like spear straight through the bone and pulled until the limb popped out of its socket. Ed bit down on his lip to keep himself from crying out as his arm fell uselessly to his side.

"I told you before, that's not how you treat a woman." One of her gloved hands caressed his chin, tenderly turning his face toward hers.

"No!" Ed pulled violently away from her, tugging his head free of her grasp only just in time.

Lust laughed like a cat playing with a trapped mouse. "You're actually afraid of me, not as human to Homunculus, but as man to woman. You really are naïve, aren't you, Edward? Well, I can easily remedy that."

"Brother!"

At the sound of Al's voice, Ed looked up to see Envy reentering, marching a captured Alphonse in front of him. He was also carrying Gluttony, who was smoking and sparking like a dying fire. Envy dropped the tubby Homunculus at their Father's feet before bringing Al closer to where Lust and Edward sat.

"Entertaining yourself, huh, Lust?" the enormous monster chortled.

"Well, can you blame me?" the female Homunculus trilled, stroking Ed's face with her spear-tipped fingers, leaving shallow gashes along his temple and jawline. "He is rather… delectable."

Al gasped indignantly. "Get your filthy hands off of my brother, you… you… hussy!" As glad as Ed was that his little brother was speaking up for him, Al was obviously too much of a gentleman to insult a woman properly. Lust only chuckled, brushing some of Ed's loose hair away from his neck. Seeing how much pain her actions were causing the younger Elric, she smirked and kissed the small blonde on the jugular. Ed squirmed at her touch, not because it was particularly repulsive, but because – in a primal part of his heart – he actually enjoyed it… and that realization scared him.

"Stop it!" Al demanded. "Stop it right now!"

Instead, Lust sucked on Ed's skin, sending chills of cold shock, slight disgust, and guilty pleasure up and down his spine. Seeing the futility of his struggles, he was slowly losing the motivation to push her away.

"Lust," the leader of the Homunculi instructed, walking over to the group with Greed in tow and noticing the several new wounds on Edward's body, "do try to be _somewhat_ careful with him."

"Of course, Father," the daughter replied dutifully, pulling back from Ed as she spoke. She then settled for twirling his golden hair around her fingers and kissing that instead.

"So, what do we do with these two?" Envy asked. "What's the plan, Father?"

The Head Homunculus narrowed his eyes in deep thought. "At the moment, I am still working on the answer to that question. For now, just keep the Elric Brothers contained here, and then-"

_BOOM!_ The stone doors that Envy had closed behind him after returning blasted apart, and out from the resulting dust cloud stepped Hohenheim. Perhaps because seeing the physical imitation had frightened him so much, Ed had unconsciously been yearning to see his father – the original human whose familiar face didn't conceal a black, monstrous heart.

"Dad!"

The yell that escaped him echoed off every surface in the great chamber, leaving a silence in its wake broken only by a soft gasp from Alphonse. "Ed, you just…"

"Well, well," greeted Father, facing his old acquaintance, "Van Hohenheim. It's been a long time; what brings you to my… humble home?"

"Don't patronize me, Dwarf in the Flask. I'm here for my sons."

"Ah, yes… that would be it."

"There isn't any need for us to continue fighting this day," Hohenheim reasoned in a diplomatic tone. "Just release them, and we'll leave you peacefully."

"As if we'd negotiate with a human!" Envy scoffed, but Father raised a quelling hand toward his underling, calling for silence.

"If you want to claim them for the time being, I have no objection."

Hohenheim showed his clear displeasure at the way the Homunculus said "for the time being," but he nodded and began making his way through the maze of destruction.

Envy clenched his teeth. "But, Father-"

"Enough, Envy. Release the Elric boy." Once the monster had reluctantly complied, Father turned his stern gaze on his daughter. "Lust…"

"Oh, all right," she sighed, dragging Ed to his feet. After giving him a final flirtatious squeeze, she let Ed disentangle himself from her embrace. Al quickly came alongside his brother and shielded him from Lust, tilting his helmet down in a fierce glare toward the female Homunculus. As the two boys walked toward their father, the Head Homunculus caught Edward by the left arm. Ed instantly felt the wounds Lust had given him heal, as well as the remaining scabs on the sides of his head that been neglected. Father said nothing as he looked down at the boy, but Ed could have sworn that he nonetheless heard the monster's voice.

_**I'll be watching you very closely from now on, child.**_

Gulping, Ed extracted his arm from Father's grasp and caught up with Al. Hohenheim waited patiently for the boys, but when they stepped within his reach, he placed a hand around each of them and gently pushed them ahead of him.

"Hey, kid!" Greed called. "You might as well have this back."

Ed looked back over his shoulder just in time to see Greed toss the ash wand toward him. Catching the stick, Ed nodded in silent gratitude to his former friend. _Somewhere inside that monster, Ling's alive; I know it_.

* * *

As soon as they had left the dreary chamber behind, Hohenheim sighed. "It's high time we got out of this place, don't you think?" he said, trying to insert a light-hearted remark.

"Uh, yeah," Al agreed. The younger Elric was now holding the chestplate of his armor as if he had a stomachache, but Ed knew that to be impossible. He decided not to bring up the subject; it didn't seem important at the moment.

"When did you get back, Dad?" Al asked in turn.

"Barely an hour ago. Colonel Mustang sent me a message telling me where he'd last seen you, and after that, I did some digging until I heard someone mention seeing a suit of armor and a strange, fat man enter the sewers. It didn't take much for me to put the pieces together, but I'm sure there are plenty of details you boys can give me later."

"…I'm sorry…" Ed's voice was strained and faint, taking both Al and Hohenheim by surprise.

"Whatever do you mean, Edward?"

"I'm so sorry… he knows now… he knows everything… because of me."

"What?" Al cried in horror. "Everything?"

"Yes. He… he forced it out of me. He just… ripped what he wanted out of my head."

Hohenheim stopped in his tracks, his face aghast. He grasped both of Ed's shoulders, sank to his knees, and searched his son's face. "What did he do?"

"I just told you-"

"That's not what I mean. Did he _do_ something to you? Anything?"

Ed tried to remember, but the experience was painful even in memory. "I… I don't know. It's fuzzy."

"Maybe I can help."

"How?"

"Surely Miss Granger had you read about Legilimency."

"Yeah, but…" Ed raised an eyebrow as he glanced around at their sewage-and-corpse-strewn surroundings. "Here? Now?"

"This can't wait," Hohenheim pressed, pulling out his wand and adding, "Alphonse, go on ahead. I'm sure you want to take care of that little girl you've hidden in your armor."

Al nearly jumped a foot in the air. "Uh, how did you know that?" Receiving only a sagely smile from his father as a reply, the younger Elric nodded. "Okay, but don't stay down here too long."

Once Al had rounded the corner toward the ascending staircase, Hohenheim turned back to his elder son. "Ready?"

"Uh… I guess so," Ed shrugged, unsettled by the serious tone of his father's voice.

"All right. Look me directly in the eyes and try to relax."

It was a peculiar sensation: Ed's senses distorted and faded, cutting him off from reality. Images of his past bombarded his mind's eye, moving so quickly he couldn't focus on a single one. As the film reel of his life got closer and closer to the present, an aching gradually registered inside him.

"Stop," he heard himself mutter.

"Hang on, Son," Hohenheim's voice called from far away. The pain ratcheted upward, as if someone was pouring liquid metal onto Ed's brain, trying to seal off his mind.

"Stop it. You're hurting me."

"That's not me, Ed. Please, bear with it a little longer. I'm trying to get past it."

Ed was pretty sure his legs had given way by now. He couldn't do it; he couldn't take any more of this torment. He tried to close his unseeing eyes, to break off the connection, with no success.

"No… not again. Stop it. Get out!"

"Again? Edward, I'm not _him_. Surely you can tell that."

Ed made no attempt to reply; the agonizing mental seal had almost encased him now. In the far distance of his physical form, Ed clutched at his father for support, sure he was going to die at any moment, that this pain would kill him. Just before the sheath closed, a will that wasn't Ed's spoke through his voice.

"You're not welcome here, Hohenheim. If you try this again, I just might have to find a replacement sacrifice… because your son will be dead."

The casing completed itself, shattering the connection. Edward was only loosely aware of this – or of anything – because his brain wouldn't work. His ability to think had been frozen, and consciousness was quickly slipping away from him. The last thing he perceived before shadow took possession of his mind was Hohenheim's stricken face as his father called his name.

* * *

Warmth… light… These sensations slowly filtered in, making their way doggedly through his nervous system. After what felt like an eternity, Ed mustered the strength to open his eyes. As his optical nerves remembered how to work, the image of a dark-haired man came into focus.

"Hey, Fullmetal," said Colonel Mustang, an unusually concerned expression lingering on his face just long enough for Ed to notice it.

"…whe… where's Dad?"

Mustang seemed surprised at Ed's use of the term, but he took it in his stride. "He had to step out for a minute, but he's been worried sick about you."

Ed tried to sit up, but his muscles felt like jelly.

"Easy there, hotshot; just lie down. That's an order."

After a pause, Ed asked, "So, what have you been doing?"

The Colonel looked as if Ed had just asked what fighting in Ishval had been like. "It's hasn't been good. Bradley took all my men and reassigned them… all of them."

"Then the Lieutenant-"

"-isn't here," Mustang finished. "She's been made the Fuhrer's new secretary." He looked out a nearby window. "At least… I'll still be able to see her, from time to time… if only for a few moments."

Ed had never heard his superior talk about his… relationship (for lack of a better word) with Lieutenant Hawkeye like this before; it seemed Mustang had only figured out how special she was to him after losing her. While the Colonel's back was turned, Ed pulled himself up into a sitting position. He had woken on the couch in Mustang's office at Central Headquarters. _Why Dad thought this would be a safe place, I have no idea_. It was strange how natural it now felt for Ed to call Hohenheim that: Dad. It was as if he had been abstaining from breathing and had only recently allowed himself to perform the simple operation of inhaling and exhaling.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he said at last.

"It's not your fault. You told me the truth, just as you should." Facing the young alchemist, Mustang knit his brow in disapproval. "I thought I told you to lie down."

"Since when have I listened to you?" Ed grinned. "Besides, I need to get blood flowing if I'm going to get up anytime soon."

"No one said you had to go anywhere anytime soon. I'm serious, Edward; you are going to rest if I have to tie you down."

"That's a scary thought," laughed the small blonde, but he nonetheless sank back onto the soft couch pillows. "Actually, Colonel, I'm glad you're here."

"Well, that's a first. Why?"

"Because there's something I just remembered, something you need to know."

"And what's that?"

"It's about Hughes… I know who killed him."

In an instant, Mustang was on his feet, fully attentive. "Who? Out with it."

"We were right that it was one of the Homunculi."

"Don't beat around the bush, Fullmetal. Tell me who did it!"

"…Envy. You haven't met him, but he can change his shape. Hughes dropped his guard because that monster made himself look like Ms. Gracia… and then…" He didn't have to finish.

Mustang clenched his fists, clearly suppressing his anger. "I see. Well, I'll make sure that the first time I meet this Envy will be the last time anyone ever does."

"Colonel, just… just don't lose your head when you fight him, okay?"

The soldier's eyes narrowed. "I can't promise that."

"Can't… or won't?"

Before Mustang could respond, the door of the office creaked open and Hohenheim entered. Upon seeing his son, the sagely alchemist sighed with relief. "You're awake. Thank goodness." Looking to Mustang, he added, "Colonel, would you mind…"

"Not at all," he replied, getting the message. "I'll be outside if you need me."

After Mustang had closed the door behind him, Hohenheim sat on the edge of the couch and scanned Ed's face sadly, as if he would never be able to look at it enough.

"What?" Ed asked. "It's not like you to seem so down." When he received no reply, Ed raised his voice a little. "Hellooo… Dad! Hey!"

Hohenheim seemed to emerge from a daydream. "Oh, it's just…" He placed a warm hand on Ed's shoulder as he searched for the words, "I'm so sorry, Edward."

"What do _you_ have to be sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I put your life in danger."

Ed laughed, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. "When is my life _not_ in danger?" When Hohenheim's morbid expression didn't change, Ed grew more somber. "Is it really that bad?"

"That's just it: I don't know. Before I could get that deep-"

"I blacked out," Ed finished.

"Worse than that, I'm afraid. Your mind… shut down, as if my presence triggered a _self-destruct_. I could have killed you." After a grim pause, Hohenheim asked, "Edward, did he _say_ anything, something that might give us any clues about…"

"Yeah, he did," replied the small blonde.

"And?"

"He said I needed to be _monitored_… _controlled_. But, it's not like he can actually…" Ed stopped, taking note of his father's distressed face. "Can he?" No reply. Ed's shoulders slumped as he resigned himself to the worst possibility. "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know if there's anything we _can_ do at the moment. I've written to Albus – told him everything. Perhaps he can come up with a solution."

Ed snorted softly. "_Dad_, if you – with 400-some years of knowledge – don't have an answer, I really don't know how a wizard a fourth of your age is going to be much good."

A smile finally emerged on Hohenheim's face. "A good rule of thumb, Son: never underestimate Albus Dumbledore."

"Regardless," he continued, standing, "you need to return to school as quickly as possible. Distancing you from the Homunculi is of extra importance now. I'll make a Portkey for you."

"Uh… okay." As Hohenheim strode toward the door, Ed swung his stiff legs over the side of the couch and tested his weight on them.

"Don't push yourself too hard," his father advised.

Ed grinned slyly. "A good rule of thumb, Dad: never underestimate Edward Elric."

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Ed's body fully revived. He had just slung his bag over one shoulder when armored footfalls clanked into earshot.

"Al?" the elder Elric called. "Is that you?"

At the sound of Ed's voice, the steps hastened to his location until Al's helmet peeked around a corner. "Ed!" he cried joyously. "I'm glad I made it back before you left; Dad had said he was going to make sure you got back to Hogwarts before the day was out."

"Oh, did he?" Ed cracked a smile, trying to picture Hohenheim saying something with that level of resolve. "So, how's that little girl?"

"She has a name, you know. _May Chang_." He said it so wistfully that Ed nearly choked for stifling his laughter. "What's so funny?" the younger Elric demanded defensively.

"Oh, man," Ed mused with a mix of nostalgia and mirth, "My little brother's gone and gotten his first crush."

Even without a physical manifestation, it was obvious Al was blushing. "D… don't say it like that, Brother. You're just teasing me."

"Sorry, it just makes me think about how time's flown by. Four years…"

"Edward?" Hohenheim's voice echoed from further down the hall.

"I guess it's time," Ed sighed.

"I'll write more," Al promised, "and maybe I can come visit, or something."

"Don't worry about it," the older brother replied, waving a flippant hand as he headed back toward Mustang's office. "See ya 'round, Al."

"Okay." The subdued, forlorn tone of the metallic voice almost made the small blonde hesitate, but he forced himself not to look back.

"So," Ed asked as he entered the room and eyed the object Hohenheim had chosen (a badly bashed desk lamp), "how does this work, exactly?"

"Touch the Portkey, and it'll do the rest – simple enough. Just be careful not to touch it again once you get there, or you'll end up with a round trip."

"Fine. You made sure it'll take me back to the Shrieking Shack, right?"

Hohenheim nodded passively, but Ed could tell from a single glance what the hopeless old romantic was really thinking about at the moment. Exhaling heavily, the boy pointed out, "You know, I'm not gonna attack you if you try and hug me again."

Slightly embarrassed by his son's clairvoyance, Hohenheim cleared his throat awkwardly. "Good to know." He closed the distance between them in a few strides and enfolded Ed in his arms. As his father held him tightly, Ed could feel Hohenheim trembling.

"Dad, don't worry about me. I'm a survivor; I'm not gonna let this mess with the Homunculi beat me."

Ed watched his father's Adam's apple bob as the old man struggled to remain in control of his emotions. In the end, all Hohenheim could manage was a few more feeble nods. After nearly a minute, Ed noted stoically, "You going to have to let me go if I'm heading back to Hogwarts."

Presented with that painful reality, Hohenheim finally stepped away, no longer able to make eye contact for fear that he'd break down completely.

"I'll be okay," said Ed, trying to assure both his father and himself. He then approached the dented desk lamp that would take him back to the Wizarding World. "Here goes," he shrugged as he reached for the Portkey.

* * *

A/N: The Conjunctivitis Curse is just what it sounds like… a pink eye curse. I found it on the HP Wiki; apparently, it's what Crum used on his dragon in the First Task.

Ed's wand is cool… I just have to make sure it's not _too_ powerful. It requires teamwork with Ed, so that's a restraint on its power.

RANDOM: May and Cho have the same last name. XD

Yes, Lust… since she was only in the canon story for such a short time, Arakawa didn't really get to show a lot of her character, so, since I kept her alive… I'm going to develop her, especially in terms of her more obviously displaying a primal, manipulative attraction to men. After all, she's **Lust**.

More Ed and Mr. Ho time TTvTT It pleases me…


	12. Punishment

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: September 15th is the birthday I'm working with for Ed (alas, February 3rd only applies to the 2003 anime version). I literally counted the days from September 1st to figure out how it all works (read the author's note at the end of Chapter 9 to see how Ed gets back to Hogwarts on the evening of the 13th).

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**marichan96**: I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. Ed and Harry probably won't have a conversation specifically about the Stone, since the _HP_ one was a cheap knockoff next to the _FMA_ kind (and it's been destroyed for years now anyway). There will be conversations about the Homunculi, though…

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Punishment**

_Why is it that every method of magical travel seems to involve spinning at high speeds?_ Ed demanded of the universe as the Portkey dragged him through meaningless space. He was so intent on ignoring the dizzying process that it took several extra seconds for him to realize he had landed. Before he could try to reorient his perception of horizontal and vertical, he heard the animated cry of "ED!"

A small, silver-haired boy tackled the recent traveler, laughing as he spoke, "You're back! I'm so glad; we were starting to get worried about you."

"Hi, Kevin," Ed replied, grinning. "What are you doing here?"

"We've been taking turns keeping watch," the young Ishvalan explained as he and Ed proceeded toward the passage leading out of the Shrieking Shack. "Hermione suggested it. She's _really_ smart – Terry must have asked her a dozen times why she isn't in Ravenclaw. Anyway, she said someone should be here waiting for you, in case… in case you were injured."

Ed stifled a snort. "That's a nice thought and all, but I'm not _that_ prone to getting myself beat up."

After a pause, Kevin asked, "So, how'd everything go? Did you do what you needed to do?"

Since the smaller boy was walking ahead of Ed, the young alchemist felt safe that his friend wouldn't be able to see his reaction to that question. Ed bit his lip as he mulled over everything that had happened on his trip to Amestris, everything that might happen now because of his choices. "Yeah, I did," he said at last. Ed thought Kevin might have noticed something odd about this terse reply, but the young Ishvalan didn't press the matter, so neither did Ed.

After the two Ravenclaws had snuck back inside the walls of Hogwarts, Kevin led Edward into an unused classroom. The snowy-haired boy closed and locked the door before bringing a Galleon out of his pocket.

"What's that for?" Ed inquired.

"It's fake," said Kevin, holding up the coin. "Hermione used a Protean Charm on them – one for each of us. That way, we could let the others in our little band know when you got back."

"Ingenious," noted Ed.

"I've sent them the message, and this is our rendezvous point, so they should be here soon." Then, Kevin seemed to recall something unpleasant. "Um, Ed, something important happened while you were gone, and you won't like it."

"What?" Ed didn't know if he could handle any more bad news in one day.

"It's about Umbridge. She-" but Kevin was stopped by the rattling of the door-knob.

"Oi!" Ron hissed from the other side. "It's us! Open up already!"

"Ron, I don't think you've quite gotten the point of 'whispering'," Ginny chided.

"Oh, shut up."

Kevin pulled open the door, and the rest of their motley crew piled inside: Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Fred, George, Luna, Terry, Michael, and Anthony. Nearly everyone rushed upon Ed, asking a dozen questions at once.

"Hey!" Harry yelled at last, trying to make his way through the tight ring of interrogators. "Give him some room to breathe, at least."

The others backed off while preserving their circle around the young alchemist.

"Well?" Anthony asked a little snappishly.

"Well, what?" retorted Ed. "I'm back. Do you really want all the gory details of my exploits?"

From Anthony's wan face, Ed guessed not.

"You mean, you're not gonna tell us anything about what happened?" Ron sounded sincerely disappointed.

Ed took a deep breath; there was _one_ thing he would have to tell them, and he'd rather it was sooner than later. "My enemies, the Homunculi, they know about this place now, about magic."

"What?" gasped Hermione, one of the few who understood the gravity of this situation.

"How did they find out?" Michael asked shrewdly.

_Ever the perceptive one_, Ed mused. He tried to think of a way to explain. "Their boss, he used… a kind of Legilimency… and forced it out of me."

"So, what'll that mean fer us?" Terry inquired.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling they won't just leave the Wizarding World alone now that they know about it."

Hermione straightened, as if preparing to deliver an important speech. "Then this is another reason why we need to form a Defense Against the Dark Arts group on our own."

"Hermione, not _again_," Harry groaned pleadingly.

"We what?" Ed had definitely missed an important conversation.

Fred and George explained in unison, "Well, what with Umbridge being made 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor' and all, Hermione figured we should rebel."

"I didn't say it like that," Hermione snapped, "but, yes, essentially."

"Whoa, back up!" Ed implored. "Umbridge has been made a what?"

The Hogwarts students quickly went about giving Ed a patched-together account of the previous week's events. When they had finished, Ed had to sit down in order to absorb this information.

"So now that toad is basically in command of the place. Damn…"

"Ed, you should know that she'll be furious when she sees you've come back," said Michael gravely. "Every Defense Against the Dark Arts class where you didn't show, she nearly burst a blood vessel. She's even made sure to inspect almost all of your other classes, asking the teachers and students if they've seen you or know where you are."

"She's on a bloody man-hunt for you, mate," Terry shuddered.

To everyone's surprise, Ed burst out laughing, but he couldn't help himself. Next to the horrifying possibility that the Father of the Homunculi could possess him, Umbridge seemed as dangerous as a declawed housecat.

"This is no laughing matter," said Anthony in an overly offended tone. "You have broken at least 26 school rules; Umbridge could expel you."

"But, she won't," Ed assured him as soon as he could stop sniggering. "If she did, I'd just slip off the Ministry's radar again. She wants to keep me here where she can watch me." His own words forced him to recall Father's chilling voice: _"You need to be monitored… controlled."_ Ed had a momentary vision of his situation – he was an animal who had been captured by a hunter, tagged, and released back into the wild. He might have a semblance of freedom for the time being, but when the hunter was ready to haul him in for the kill, nothing would prevent him from finding his prey.

When Ed's attention returned to the present, he realized that he was shaking with cold sweat, and his head ached. His friends had moved in closer, concern etched on their faces. Luna had even gone so far as to clasp his hand.

"What happened, Ed?" she asked, the usual dreamlike tone of her voice subdued. "What's wrong?"

"Are you ill?" said Ron.

Ginny immediately pressed a hand to Ed's forehead. "You do feel a bit too warm," she observed.

"I'm fine," Ed responded brusquely, his tone sending most of the students back a few steps to ensure they were out of his reach.

"But, you're not," Harry said plainly. When the two boys locked eyes, Ed felt that Harry had a general idea of what was wrong with him, and that nothing could be said to the others that would allow them to understand in the same way. It was something one could only comprehend from first-hand experience. "I'm sure you're starving," Harry finished at length, diverting the conversation for Ed's sake.

"Yeah," Ed agreed, grateful for Harry's intervention. Plus, he was truthfully hungry. "Oh, before I forget…" Reaching into his bag, Ed pulled out the alchemy book he'd brought for Hermione. After returning it to its normal size, he handed it to her. "Here you go."

She acted as though he'd just presented her with a priceless artifact, so overcome with delight and awe that her thanks could only be mouthed.

"It wasn't any trouble," Ed shrugged. "Now, I think dinner is calling my name."

* * *

As the group of conspirators approached the Great Hall, Ed came to a decision. "Hey, the rest of you should go in ahead of me; that way, it'll be harder for Umbridge to connect us. You guys shouldn't have to get in trouble for what I did."

"Hey, now," retorted Fred, "I'm honored that I aided and abetted a truant of our noble educational establishment."

"Yeah," agreed George, "Your exploits are definitely going in the _Record-Book of Hogwartsian Troublemakers_."

"There's a record book for that?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"A mental one, at least," replied the second twin.

"When we make enough money to print it, we'll save you a copy," teased the first.

The cluster of wizards ambled into the Hall, splitting into Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, but Ed lingered outside for a few more minutes. To be honest, he was glad to put some distance between them and him, and not just for the reason he'd given them. Whatever Father had done to him, he now felt far away from his new friends, separated by some unbridgeable gulf. So, why was Harry still giving him that sympathetic look?

When Ed finally crossed the threshold into the Great Hall, more than a few heads turned in his direction. Some students craned their necks to get a good look at him, or else gossiped behind their hands to each other. Ed glared at the crowd of curious onlookers, his amber eyes as cold and hard as steel. He'd been through hell, and there they sat, acting like he was a spectacle for their entertainment. It made him sick.

"_Hem, hem_." The fake, girly cough brought everyone's attention to Professor Umbridge, who had risen from her seat at the teachers' table with a triumphant, crazed look in her eyes. She circled the table, descended from the raised platform at the front of the Hall, and walked deliberately toward the small blonde.

"Well, well," she said in that revolting tone one uses to address preschoolers, "If it isn't our missing student."

Ed remained stone-faced as he replied, "Missing? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Professor."

Umbridge's nostrils flared in suppressed anger. "Come now, dear," she half-growled, "lying will not benefit your situation."

"Oh, is that so?"

The surrounding noise in the Hall was steadily decreasing as the occupants paid more and more attention to the scene unfolding in their midst. Umbridge tensed, still maintaining her supposedly-charming smile.

"I would like a word with you in my office, Mr. Elric… now, if you don't mind."

"And what if I do mind?" Ed retorted, his foul mood resurfacing. "What if I don't give a damn about what 'you would like'?"

The Hall collectively gasped. Out of the corner of his eye, Ed could see Hermione looking around desperately, possibly hoping that McGonagall or Dumbledore would appear and intervene. No such luck.

"Then I will _insist_," snarled Umbridge in a low voice, momentarily forgetting her girlish pretense. "You are to report to my office immediately. In fact, I will escort you there, just to make sure you don't get… _sidetracked_."

Not feeling up to the effort of a full confrontation, Ed followed Umbridge out of the Hall. Whatever punishment she had in store for him, there was no way it could top what he'd gone through in the past twenty-four hours.

* * *

Once she had shut and locked the door of her kitten-plate-and-lace-doily-adorned office, Umbridge didn't hesitate to round on the young alchemist. "You are in a great deal of trouble, Mr. Elric. Are you aware of that?"

"Yeah." _SLAP!_ A stubby hand whipped him across the face.

"Don't respond to me in that disrespectful manner. You _should_ say, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge.'"

Ed felt a lot more like saying,_ "Go to hell,"_ but he restrained himself. "Yes, ma'am," he managed.

Umbridge straightened her pink cardigan as she tried to control her ire. "Where have you been for the past week?"

"Five days… ma'am," Ed corrected tartly.

Finally accepting that he was going to give her cheek for every question, the toad-like witch pursed her lips. She drew her wand in one fluid motion and said, "_Incarcerous_." Ropes shot out of the wandtip and flew at Ed, forcing him into a straight-backed chair and binding him to it around his torso, ankles, and wrists. Umbridge made a twirling motion with her wand, and the chair pulled itself up to a small table next to her desk.

"Now then, Mr. Elric," she trilled in her usual, sickly-sweet voice. "We can deal with this the short way, or the long way – it's your choice."

The word 'short' didn't at all help Ed's mood; he fixed Umbridge with a fierce glare and said nothing.

"Where… have… you… been?" asked the professor, enunciating each word slowly.

Ed remained silent. After failing to keep a secret in one world, he would not repeat his mistake; Umbridge wasn't going to get a single scrap of information out of him.

"I see." She opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a black quill, long and thin with an especially sharp tip, like a scalpel. Ed had to refrain from laughing; he knew exactly was she had planned, and it wasn't going to work on him. Anything Harry Potter could suffer through would be no sweat for Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was just made of stronger stuff than that.

"If you expect me to use that thing, I'll need my hands untied," he pointed out flatly.

Umbridge twiddled her wand, and the cords binding Ed's wrists snapped and disintegrated. The stubby witch placed a stack of blank parchment on the table in front of him and laid the quill atop the pile. Ed picked up the implement and the top leaf, turning to Umbridge with an expression of fake compliance. "And what would you like me to write for my _lines_, Professor?"

"It's simple enough, just three words." Her amphibious smile widened as she pronounced, "'_I… will… obey'_."

Ed wanted to punch her smug face; he had misinterpreted her intentions with this punishment. Even if she had a suspicion that physical pain wasn't the way to get to him, she knew how he obviously despised her authority, and she was going to make him suffer for that defiance. The small blonde grit his teeth, set quill to parchment, and began etching the words onto the page… and the back of his left hand.

The pain only bothered him when he thought about it, so, instead, he focused all of his attention on several ways he would have his sweet revenge on the old toad. Ed quickly lost track of time due to the repetitive motion of writing those three words over, and over, and over again. Many hours after the sky had grown dark, the stinging grew too strong to ignore, and he could see blood seeping through his glove. He tried to make his fingers keep writing, but his muscles had grown too fatigued. _No_, he groaned inwardly, _no! I won't let her win! Move, you stupid thing!_

"Is something the matter?"

"No," Ed snapped, despite the fact that his left hand was trembling violently. Umbridge stood and approached his small table, coldly inspecting his progress.

"Are you unable to continue?" she asked, her voice dripping with smug triumph.

Ed set his jaw; he would not concede this battle. "No, I can use my other hand."

Umbridge raised an eyebrow, but she nodded. "Very well, then."

Passing the quill to his automail hand, Ed began writing again, but as soon as he made the first stroke, a shrill, scratching sound momentarily filled the room. Umbridge nearly tripped over herself when she heard it. Although the young alchemist had an inkling as to what had just happened, he tried to dismiss it, but when he made another line with the quill, the noise returned.

"What in heaven's name?" Umbridge puzzled. She examined Ed's page; there was no shining, red ink in the wake of his quill-strokes, only silver shavings. "What are those?"

Ed said nothing, but his face betrayed him. Umbridge circled around the table until she stood to his immediate right. "Mr. Elric," she said with a deadly calm, "why is it… that you are always wearing gloves?" Before Ed could protest, she had snapped up his right wrist and pulled off his white glove. For a moment, she merely stared at the mechanical hand. Seizing his opportunity, Ed tugged his arm free of her grasp.

"It was an accident a long time ago; that's all."

Regaining control of herself, the squatty professor eyed him with skepticism and apprehension. She picked up the black quill, muttered some kind of spell, and tapped it with her wand. When she handed it back to Ed, her repulsive smile had returned in full force.

"I see. You may continue now."

Ed waited until Umbridge had reseated herself, then he tested the quill. Instantly, his left hand burned as the cuts deepened. Whatever that enchantment had been, the quill would now take the blood of his opposite hand. _Efficient enough, I guess. Now, I won't have to worry about tiring out anything._

After that, Ed paid little to no attention to his surroundings; only faintly did he perceive the eventual reappearance of light from outside the office window. He continued to work steadily as the sun made its way across the sky, having become so accustomed to the pain in his left hand that he could tune it out. By now, his mind had begun to wander.

_This is stupid,_ he grumbled to himself.

_**Then why are you still here?**_ said a quite different voice. _**Why not show this woman who she's dealing with?**_

_Because, I can't just go and use alchemy in front of her. That would defeat the entire purpose of staying quiet._

_**You could keep her from telling anyone about it.**_

_Oh really? How would I manage that?_

_**You could silence her… for good.**_

Ed paused in his task. _What? Why would I even think of doing that?_

_**You didn't. I did.**_

A few beads of sweat dripped down the side of his face, tracing a path over where he'd received so many different wounds in the past few days. _Damn… is that… are you…?_

_**If you're having trouble finding a label of address, you could always start with 'Master.'**_

_Like hell! I told you before: get out!_

_**No, I rather like it here, and, besides, you are in no position to command me, child. Quite the opposite, in fact.**_

Seeing that Umbridge had noticed his break in rhythm, Ed forced himself to keep writing.

_Why_, he demanded. _Why are you doing this? Why me? What could you possibly hope to gain?_

_**That**_, Father said, _**is for me to know, and you to find out.**_

Ed might have sworn aloud in frustration if not for a light, yet insistent knock on Umbridge's office door. Gesturing that he was to continue, Umbridge rose and answered the summons. Since the door was located behind Ed, he had to rely on his ears in order to follow what was happening.

"Filius," crooned the toad-like witch, "may I help you?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ed was still tempted to chuckle when he heard Flitwick's squeaky voice. "I understand, Dolores, that you are holding a student from my house hostage."

Umbridge giggled like a tipsy schoolgirl. "Hostage? Oh, no, no, no. Mr. Elric is under Inquisitorial Confinement. I will release him when I see fit."

"And which Educational Decree gives you that authority?" countered Flitwick. When Umbridge did not respond immediately, the Charms professor pushed his advantage. "You have overstepped your bounds here, Dolores. Now, will you free my pupil, or must I return with the headmaster?"

Ed didn't have to see Umbridge's face to know she was furious. After an uncomfortable pause, she exhaled tensely. "Mr. Elric… you may go."

The remaining ropes vanished. Now that the end was in sight, Ed decided he'd play with the High Inquisitor a little, just to show her she hadn't even come close to beating him. Ed stood, re-gloved his right hand, stacked the many leaves of parchment he'd covered with his own blood, and handed them to Umbridge as he would a homework assignment. At the moment she grabbed the pages from him, he said in a dangerously low voice, "A note for the future, Professor: you obviously don't understand what real pain is." With that, he followed Professor Flitwick out of Umbridge's office.

* * *

"You've been reckless," Flitwick pointed out once he and Ed reached the Grand Staircase.

"Yes, sir… I know that. I'm sorry, but… I had to do something important."

"The headmaster gave me a brief account of your… unique situation," admitted the professor, "but that does not give you an excuse to slip off of school grounds without permission. You understand, yes?"

Ed nodded. "I won't do it again."

At this, Flitwick winked at him. "Now, now, Elric – don't go making promises you can't keep." Ed returned the small teacher's smile, glad that Flitwick understood. As the two climbed the many flights of stairs, Ed began to feel short of breath. His vision went in and out of focus, and his head felt light and heavy all at once. Concerned that he would lose his footing, Ed paused in his ascent, clutching at the bannister and fighting down an urge to be sick. Turning back to see why Ed had stopped, Flitwick's face grew grave.

"Elric, why don't you sit down? You look white as a sheet."

Ed didn't argue. Half-collapsing onto a nearby landing, he wiped cold sweat from his brow. He felt numb all over, but the worst of it was definitely in his left hand, which was shaking fitfully.

"Let me see that," Flitwick instructed, indicating the injured hand. Ed slowly pulled off the glove covering the wound. The blood staining the fabric was a variegated blend of red, brown, and black, so caked on that the woven material stuck to his lacerated skin. When the damage was finally exposed to open air, Ed bit on his lip to silence his moans of discomfort. The cuts were deep, so pronounced that Ed could see the white of bone in more than a few spots.

"Oh, my," said Flitwick. "I think Madam Pomfrey should look at this."

"No!" Ed said it louder than he had intended, and immediately measured his tone. "No, sir, please. That… that would be admitting defeat."

"That hardly matters, lad."

"But it _does_ matter, sir. It's her or me, and I sure as hell won't let her win the first round."

Flitwick frowned in disapproval, but before he could press the subject, Terry called from the flight above, "Ed! There ya are! Merlin's beard, we were worried! Anthony, Michael, Kevin! I found 'im!"

Immediately, four pairs of feet could be heard thundering on the stairs as the fifth-year Ravenclaws converged on Ed's location.

"You look terrible," Anthony noted blandly.

"You look desanguinated," said Michael in his usual, analytical tone.

"Are you okay, Ed?" Kevin asked fearfully. "What did that horrible woman do to you?"

Once the group settled down a little, Ed showed them his hand.

"That bloody devil!" roared Terry. "That insufferable hag! That-" Only then did he take note of Professor Flitwick's presence. "Oh, uh, I mean…"

"Oh, don't mind me," Flitwick assured the boy. "Elric, if you're determined not to go to the hospital wing, then I'll leave you in the capable hands of these young men. But, I should tell you, the headmaster expects to see you as soon as you're able. You'll find his office on the third floor; the password is 'Fizzing Whizbee'."

"Thank you, sir. I'll remember that."

As soon as Flitwick was out of earshot, the boys made an informal huddle around Ed.

"How long was I her prisoner?" Ed asked at once.

"Nearly a whole day," sighed Anthony. "What a barbaric display from a professor, making a student cut his own hand open like that."

"Barbaric doesn't even begin to cover Umbridge," Michael corrected. "We're just lucky she doesn't know Ed's from another country, basically another world. Considering her no-tolerance policy toward half-breeds…"

"She did look pretty disgusted when she saw my automail," Ed admitted.

"She what?" All four boys gasped in unison.

"But, Moody has automail, too, so surely it's not an entirely new experience for someone who works at the Ministry… right?"

"I wouldn't assume too much," Michael advised. "With Umbridge, there's no telling how far she'll take something like that."

"In the meantime," Kevin suggested, pulling out his wand, "we can't just leave your hand like this."

"Yes, you can," said Ed with an awful finality. "So what if I get another scar? I've got loads already."

"But, there could be nerve damage."

"Kevin has a point," Anthony agreed. "Is your pride really worth that?"

For once, the prefect had said something of actual importance. Ed avoided eye contact as he groaned, "Fine, you can make sure everything will work right, but don't heal it more than you have to."

For the next few minutes, Kevin muttered spells under his breath, sending odd tingles through Ed's arm. At last, the young Ishvalan stood. "Okay. Just don't mess with it, and it should mend well enough on its own."

"Thanks." Ed tried to get back on his feet, but a new wave of lightheaded nausea hit him almost immediately.

"Come on, idiot," Anthony sighed, pulling Ed's right arm over his shoulder. "You're no use to anyone if you pass out."

"Here, I'll help, too," offered Terry, coming alongside and supporting Ed from the left.

"You guys don't have to do this," Ed insisted, despite the fact that he could barely feel his legs for lack of blood.

"Just shut up," said Michael bluntly. "This is what friends do for each other; get used to it."

Ed made no more protests as Anthony and Terry lugged him back up to Ravenclaw Tower. Finally realizing just how tired he was, he collapsed into his four-poster bed fully clothed and fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

When Ed reopened his eyes, the light of midmorning poured in through the dormitory window. After a moment, he noticed what had woken him: an owl tapping on the glass. Dragging himself to the window and opening it, Ed accepted a small envelope from the bird before it took off toward the Owlery. Sitting back on his bed, he unsealed the envelope and pulled out a card with a few lines in Al's handwriting.

_Dear Ed,_

_I know I only saw you two days ago, but I just had to wish you "Happy Birthday". I don't know what I'm going to get you, yet… maybe you'll just have to consider a visit from me a late present. I really want to see Hogwarts…_

_Anyway, keep working hard. You can't let your standards of excellence slack, now can you?_

_I miss you already,_

_Al_

_P.S. May already left, probably to rejoin Scar. I really hope what you told him about the war will stop him from killing any more State Alchemists._

Ed smiled to himself as he set the card on his nightstand. That little brother of his was really something; even when Ed felt terrible, a handful of words from Al was still enough to lift his spirits. Checking his pocket watch, the small blonde reckoned that he had slept a good twenty hours. The rest seemed to have done him some good: feeling had returned to all of his limbs, and his lightheadedness had nearly gone. Recalling Flitwick's reminder, Ed straightened his appearance (he did, after all, have _some_ respect for the headmaster) and headed down to the Great Hall. His meeting with Dumbledore would have to wait until after he filled his growling stomach.

Having restored much of his energy thanks to a hearty lunch, Ed set off for the headmaster's office. When he reached the third floor, however, he was surprised to find Draco Malfoy and his two lumbering goons waiting for him.

"What?" Ed snapped.

"I overheard Flitwick yesterday, saying you had to report to Dumbledore. I hope you're in trouble."

"That's none of your business."

"Manners, Elric; you're speaking to your better, after all."

Ed stifled a derisive snort. "Not _that_ again."

"Where'd you vanish off to for a week?"

"Again, that's none of your business."

Malfoy's brow furrowed. "I don't like your tone, Smallric." The Slytherin prefect gave his minions a meaningful look, and the two began circling around Ed.

"What's this?" Ed laughed. "Surrounding me? I guess you've finally grown enough of a brain to strategize a little."

"I've had just about enough of your mouth, Elric! Crabbe, Goyle, grab him!"

The goons obeyed, each one taking hold of one of Ed's arms.

"What's your beef, Malfoy? Make it quick; I've got an appointment to get to, after all."

"Oh, I don't expect this to take long. Since you've been gone for the past week, I would assume no one bothered to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Malfoy pulled out a sheet of parchment covered with Ed's handwriting. At the top was scrawled an "O" in red ink.

"Do you understand what this is?"

"Potions homework?"

"Yes, I swiped it from that Corner idiot, since you weren't here to pick up your own papers. But, do you understand what this letter _means_?"

Ed shrugged, mentally tucking away the fact that Malfoy had just called Michael an idiot. He vaguely recognized the "O" as an O.W.L. grade, but he didn't feel bothered to remember at the moment.

"It's an 'Outstanding'. You, out of _all_ the students in both fifth-year Potions classes, are the _only_ person who got one. You even topped Granger's grade."

"I really don't see how this has _anything_ to do with _anything_."

"No, it's quite obvious that you don't!" Malfoy snapped. "Why did Professor Snape give you that 'O'? Tell me that!"

"How should I know? I just did the assignment."

"Snape is reputed to be the most difficult teacher to please in the whole school, and you slipped into his good books somehow. How can that be? You're not even in his house!"

"It's not my fault that Potions makes innate sense to me," Ed retorted.

Malfoy stomped his foot in outrage. "I will not stand for someone of your station gaining favor with Snape over me! You aren't even in the same league as me; you're just a worm."

Ed sighed with obvious boredom. "Rant all you like, but I don't know what it's gonna prove."

"Answer me something, Elric: why did you say you were a Half-blood?"

Accepting that he was going to have to satisfy Malfoy's curiosity, Ed replied, "Because I am."

"Then, why is there's not a single witch or wizard with that name in any record of magical families?"

"My dad has a different last name: Hohenheim." Ed might as well have said that he was a demigod, considering Malfoy's reaction. "Oh, have you heard of him? Did 'Death Eater Dad' tell you about him?"

Malfoy didn't respond directly; he seemed to be rethinking his strategy of insults. At length, his condescending smirk returned. "That explains a lot, like why you're so keen on protecting the other Mudbloods."

"What are you on about now?"

"My father did tell me about a 'Hohenheim' who worked with Dumbledore, but he said the fellow was some sort of bizarre Mudblood crackpot. He never even attended a school of magic; that hardly makes him worthy of being called a real wizard."

"So, now you're gonna try and insult my dad?" Ed snorted. "Good luck with that."

"Oh, I've heard _all sorts_ of rumors about Hohenheim. They say, near the end of the war, that he traipsed off to a foreign country to start a family with some Muggle girl. Well, I guess that one turned out to be genuine."

"Imagine that," said Ed sarcastically.

"Is it true that they never married?"

"Yeah, so what?"

Malfoy took an extra step away from Ed, giving the small blonde a thoroughly disgusted look. "_So_, it's bad enough that you're the offspring of filth; you're not even the _legitimate_ offspring of filth."

A few hairs tensed on the back of Ed's neck. Malfoy was beginning to tread on dangerous ground now.

"You're the bastard son of a Mudblood oddity and a Muggle slut," sneered Malfoy. "Did she cry, when he finally saw the light and left her?"

Malfoy immediately saw that he'd gone too far. Ed's face was beyond livid. Snarling, the small blonde lashed out against Crabbe and Goyle, catching the two minions by surprise. Using their considerable weight against them, Ed knocked the two thugs to the ground, jabbing each one with an elbow to the diaphragm. Ed then lunged at Malfoy, slamming the Slytherin against the side of the corridor. Filled with a bestial hatred, Ed grabbed Malfoy by the throat.

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ INSULT MY MOTHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Malfoy made a sound like a rubber chicken being squeezed, too full of terror to even draw his wand. Ed tightened his grip, and an unnatural pleasure swelled inside of him alongside his fury. There had always been a line, a barrier he had never dared to cross, but now… he wondered why he'd never done this before, never cut loose like this. It felt so right, so justified, crushing Malfoy's windpipe between his fingers. This bastard had dishonored his mother's memory, and, for that, he deserved to die.

"…Ed? What… what are you doing?"

Edward knew that voice, but he didn't pay it any mind. All that mattered was killing this Slytherin scum, this human who thought he was so superior just because his family had waved wands for centuries.

_**Such is the foolishness of all humans**_, whispered Father's voice, _**but, we know better, don't we, child?**_

Tinges of blue began to appear around Malfoy's mouth, but someone else was determinedly prying Ed's hands off of his victim's throat.

"No! NO! Don't stop me! I'm going to _kill him_!"

"Snap out of it, Ed!" begged that same, familiar voice. "What's gotten into you?"

That's right… what _had_ gotten into him? This wasn't how he operated. Why was he about to take a life over a few ignorant words?

_**Ignorance of the law is no excuse. This human has sown suffering; now, he must reap it. Equivalent Exchange, remember?**_

_No…_ Ed countered. _Not like this. Even Malfoy doesn't deserve this._

_**He doesn't deserve your mercy, either. End him, and spare his future victims their pain.**_

_No, I won't._

After a beat of silence, Father sighed. _**I can see you are going to especially troublesome to tame, child, but mark my words: you will bend to me, sooner or later.**_

_I'll keep that in mind_.

Ed relaxed his grip and let the mediator – whom he had long since realized was Harry – pull him away from Malfoy. As the Slytherin choked, gasping for breath, Ed vented all of his anger into words.

"You make all this fuss about bloodlines, but you don't know _a damn thing_ about family! My mother was the kindest woman who ever lived on this earth, and if you say another word against her, I'll cut out your tongue!"

"Ed, that's enough," Harry pleaded, pressing an insistent hand on Ed's chest to hold him in check.

"No, I'm gonna put this slimy punk in his place!" Ed tugged off his right glove and pulled up his sleeve, making sure Malfoy could see the metallic arm glistening in the midday sunlight. "Take a good look! I gave up my arm and leg for _my_ family – I would have gladly given my _life_; can _you_ say you'd be willing to do the same for that lot of Voldemort-worshippers you call a family?"

The Slytherin's eyes were as wide and round as dinner plates, but he was still too breathless to speak.

"I thought not," Ed spat. "You were right before; we _aren't_ in the same league, but _you're_ the one who's a worm, and a pathetic one at that."

"Come on," said Harry, firmly leading Ed away. "Leave him; he's not worth it." Before the two boys exited the corridor, Harry called over his shoulder, "By the way, Malfoy, you now owe me your life. Think about _that_."

* * *

Ed didn't get far before the realization of what he had nearly done sunk in. He sank onto a stone bench and stared in horror at his hands. "I… I almost killed him. What the hell's wrong with me?"

"I was about to ask you something like that," admitted Harry as he sat next to his small friend. "You've been… different ever since you got back. I can't but my finger on it, but-"

"I almost gave in," continued Ed, not really listening. "Am I really so weak?" The young alchemist turned to Harry, but the raven-haired boy looked just as lost as Ed felt.

"Ed, I… I understand where you're coming from, I _do_, but I don't have any answers." After a moment of heavy silence, Harry asked, "What happened, Ed? I seem to be on the right track with my guesses, but I want to hear it from you."

Ed chose his words carefully; even now, he could sense Father's hold over him, keeping him from saying too much. "I'm… infected, tainted. The Leader of the Homunculi forged some kind of… connection between his mind and mine. I don't know how extensive it is, and that's the worst part."

Harry's hand unconsciously moved to touch his lightning-shaped scar. "Yeah, I bet."

"Well," Ed sighed, getting to his feet, "I'm actually off to see Dumbledore about it. See you later, Harry."

"Ed? Would you ask him…?" Harry's sentence died off before its completion.

"Ask him what?"

"Never mind."

"…Okay, if you're sure."

Harry nodded, but his face said otherwise. Nonetheless, Ed left his friend to his thoughts as he renewed his trek to the headmaster's office. When he finally reached his destination, he found a stone gargoyle blocking his path.

"Uh…"

"Password?" the gargoyle said in a slow, grainy voice.

"Fizzing Whizbee, but-" Ed was cut off by the groaning of stone as the statue shuffled to one side, revealing a winding spiral staircase. "Oh, okay then."

He ascended until he came to a wooden door. After knocking, he heard Dumbledore call serenely, "Enter."

"Good afternoon, sir," greeted Ed as he stepped into the office. The high walls were covered with portraits of sleeping witches and wizards, and the floor was cluttered with tables stacked with odd devices that whirled and clicked. For a moment, Ed could understand why some wizards thought Dumbledore was a bit… odd.

"Have a seat," suggested Dumbledore, setting down a letter with writing that Ed recognized as his father's. "Let's skip the pleasantries for now and get to the matter at hand."

As Ed obeyed, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "So… I assume my dad really _did_ tell you everything?"

Dumbledore bowed his head gravely, deep in thought. "This is a serious problem, most assuredly. I wonder; would you permit me…?" Even though the question was open-ended, Ed understood and nodded. Dumbledore rose from his armchair in a whirl of starry robes, pulled a nearby stool alongside Ed's chair, and settled himself on it. Ed faced the headmaster, ready for examination. With surprisingly steady and warm hands for a man his age, Dumbledore brushed back the small blonde's bangs so as to get a better look at him. The sagely wizard's long fingers lightly touched one of the spots where Father had pierced Ed's skull.

"How strange," Dumbledore mused, "It would seem that alchemy does not leave traces the way magic does, especially dark magic."

"So, what does that mean? Is there nothing you can do?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say _that_. We'll just have to think a little outside-the-box, that's all."

_That's all?_ Ed repeated. _I really hope he's not underestimating that bearded bastard, too._

"Trust me, Edward; Van warned me against such folly." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he read Ed's expression. "I would, however, like to try my hand against this being. Is that all right?"

"Uh, sure." To be honest, Ed figured he didn't have much choice in the matter anyway.

The experience wasn't much different than before, except that Dumbledore moved with a little more decisiveness as he sifted through the boy's mind. In his mental eye, Ed caught glimpses of his childhood, his missions for the Amestrian military, his friends…

_**Who is intruding this time? A wizard?**_

_Piss off_, Ed snapped. _I'm going to get rid of you, be it with alchemy or magic, whatever I have to use._

Father laughed mercilessly, and the force of his voice pressed on Ed's mind, crushing him. _**Still arrogant, aren't you, young alchemist? When will you realize there are some battles you just can't win?**_

_When I actually lose one. Now, shut up; Dumbledore's trying to accomplish something here._

"Oh, pay me no mind," the headmaster said placidly. "I find this conversation _stimulating_, to say the least."

'_**Stimulating'?**_ Father repeated sarcastically. _**Are all wizards such fools? It seems I'm going to have to punish you again, Son of Hohenheim.**_

At once, the pressure inside Ed's skull skyrocketed. He felt Dumbledore withdraw his consciousness, but still the pain persisted. He bent double, clutching at his head and biting the inside of his mouth to keep himself from screaming.

_Stop it_, he pleaded. _Please_.

_**Will you cease this pointless resistance?**_

_Not a chance!_

_**Then you must suffer accordingly.**_

Ed vaguely registered hitting the floor as his mind continued to burn with Father's displeasure. He was sure that his head would split open any moment now. At least then, this pain would end; death didn't sound so bad next to this. _God, if you even exist, please just kill me now._

_**If you're going to beg for death, address me, not God.**_

_There'll be snow in hell before I do that!_

_**You really are a stubborn one; such an attitude will only make it more painful when I break you.**_

_Go jump off a cliff!_ With that last feeble insult, what little remained of Ed's awareness plunged into silence.

* * *

"Edward? Edward, can you hear me?"

The voice sounded so far away. It was like a rope being lowered into the dark pit where he lay. He had to grab onto it, let it pull him up, up…

His eyelids felt heavy as lead, but he forced them to open nevertheless. He was still in Dumbledore's office, lying on the low carpet. Propping himself up on his elbows, Ed took shallow breaths as the vestiges of pain lingered throughout his body.

"I apologize," said Dumbledore solemnly. "I had hoped this Homunculus would not consider me as great of a threat as Van, but it seems I was mistaken."

Thinking back to Hohenheim's advice about never underestimating Dumbledore, Ed managed a grin. "Don't sell yourself short, sir. My dad has plenty of respect for you; that's got to be worth something."

"Indeed," agreed the headmaster, his eyes twinkling again behind the half-moon spectacles.

"Well, sir?" Ed asked after a pause. "How bad is it?"

"No worse than I had expected."

"Which means…?"

"I have an idea as to how we should proceed. What do you know of the skill often coupled with Legilimency?"

"Occlumency?" Ed supplied. "I've read a little about it."

"That's enough to work with. I don't know for sure how well a magical remedy will work on an alchemical ailment, but we have to try, don't we?"

Ed nodded passively. "So, you want me to learn Occlumency? How would I go about doing that, sir?"

"I've already arranged for you to have special lessons on that subject. Professor Snape will expect you in his office at five o'clock tomorrow evening."

Ed had to double-take. "Snape?"

"Yes. When I brought up this issue with the Order, he volunteered."

The small blonde stared open-mouthed at the headmaster. "Snape _volunteered_ to teach me?" Maybe Malfoy had been right about Ed being in the Potions Master's good books.

"If it will be a problem, then I'm sure we can work something out."

"No, that's fine, sir. I don't mind." Getting slowly to his feet, Ed met the headmaster's shining blue gaze. "Well, if that's all…"

The sagely wizard merely smiled, and Ed took that to mean he was indeed excused. Just as he swung open the door and stepped back onto the spiral staircase, Dumbledore added, "By the way, congratulations on turning sixteen – an important year in the growth of a young man, to be sure. I hope you will reap _all_ the benefits of it."

Though he wasn't sure what benefits Dumbledore was referring to, Edward bowed politely. "Thank you, sir, for everything." Even after he had closed the wooden door, Ed had a feeling the headmaster would continue to watch over him, and that was a comforting thought.

* * *

A/N: Honestly, I think I hate Umbridge _more_ than I do Voldemort… Anyone else feel the same way?

I know, in the movie, the quill took blood from Harry's left hand instead of his right, but I'm going with the books. So, in order for the quill to work with opposites in Ed's case, Umbridge had to "modify" it.

Apparently, the location of Dumbledore's office changes (that's Hogwarts for you XD), and since there isn't a stated location in the fifth book, I just picked a floor.

I've decided Kevin is good with Healing Charms; it suits him.

How does Malfoy know these things? Well, as Greed the First says, "News travels fast in the shadow world, and I've got lots of friends." It wouldn't surprise me if the Death Eaters and their families were part of an underground information network.

I'm trying to develop a kinship between Ed and Harry, since they're basically in the same unpleasant boat now. How am I doin'?

Dumbledore… 'nuff said. ^_^


	13. Teacher, Pupil, Master, Servant

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I'm so thrilled at the response I've gotten at this turn of events! I was worried that everyone would freak out that I've landed poor Ed in a situation distantly related to Harry's. Huzzah! Well, what's coming next _HP_-plot-wise shouldn't come as too much of a surprise… mostly…

In other news, I literally transcripted the lines from a chunk of Episode 2 of _Brotherhood_ (you'll see why), so if the dialogue feels choppy in that part, blame it on a lack of visuals (or _Funimation_, I guess), not me. ^_^

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Guest**: Ugh, Umbridge… she's tons of fun to write, though. Thank you; I'm glad you can see marked differences. Harry never carries on full conversations with Voldemort, after all. Hmm, will Father send in the Homunculi? …That would be telling. *Troll face* I _can_ guarantee that Al eventually makes it to the Hogwarts area… eventually…

**mirrorsedge15**: Wow, I'm so glad you're enjoying so much.

**artisticfantasy**: Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm thrilled that you like it so much. …what if I could promise you there will be such a scene with Ed and Hohenheim? Oh, Ed and Harry will have longer conversations starting in the near future. That's so cool that you anticipated Ed's reaction to Malfoy.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Teacher, Pupil, Master, Servant**

Alphonse was quite surprised when an owl brought him a letter only a day after he'd sent the birthday card to Ed. When he opened it and read the contents, however, he was in for an even bigger shock.

_September 15, 1914 (I don't give a damn what year it is in the Wizarding World)_

_Al,_

_In all the confusion of my heading back to Hogwarts, I forgot to tell you something important. I passed through the Portal in order to get out of Gluttony's stomach, and while I was there… I saw your body – more than saw it, I touched it, talked to it. Man, it sounds so weird calling your body "it"; at the time, it felt no different than talking to you. Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it in person, but I hope it encourages you. I'm going to get it out of there, Al; I promise._

_I don't know what Dad said to you about… about my condition. You can ask him for details if you need to, but… it's bad. As freaky as this sounds, in the past two days, I've literally had three conversations with that bearded bastard INSIDE MY HEAD. Dumbledore thinks we can do something about it, and I hope he's right. …I'm scared, Al. There, I said it. Your big brother is actually scared of something; is that hard to believe?_

_On a happier note, please don't feel any need to get me anything. A visit from you will be more than enough of a birthday present for me. Stay safe, and hopefully, I'll see you sometime soon._

_Ed_

"What have you got there?" asked Hohenheim jovially as he approached. Upon sensing Al's mood, however, he paused. "Is something wrong, Al?"

The hulking suit of armor creaked as the helmet rotated to face the golden-haired alchemist, and the metallic voice shook with urgency. "Dad… what's happened to Ed? What's happened to my brother?"

* * *

Deciding it was best to stay on Snape's good side, Ed made sure he was standing outside the Potions Master's office promptly at five o'clock Monday evening. When he knocked, an oily voice responded immediately, "It's not locked."

_Cold as ever, I see,_ Ed noted. Gulping, he entered and, upon locating Snape in the back of the room, bowed in his direction. "I want to thank you for this, sir. It means a lot."

Snape eyed him passively. "You're in England now, Elric. There's no need for you… to bow to me."

"Oh, right. Sorry, sir." Ed wasn't usually this tongue-tied around adults. Was it because, for once, he actually cared about the impression he made, because he wanted Snape not to regret offering to teach him?

"Uh, sir? If you don't mind my asking, why _did_ you volunteer for this?"

The Potions Master said nothing, and neither did his expression. Ed furrowed his brow; he just couldn't figure this guy out.

"How much… did the headmaster tell you… about these lessons?" asked Snape after a moment of silence.

"Not much, sir, only that I was supposed to learn Occlumency."

"Then I will be more extensive. Your learning Occlumency… is only the first step; the goal… is to use a combination of Occlumency and Legilimency… against this Homunculus being to… uproot him, to so speak."

"That makes sense, I guess."

"Then, let's not waste any more time. First… I want to assess your… natural defenses."

"My _what_, sir?"

"How you automatically react to Legilimency," Snape rephrased. "Just brace yourself."

Before Ed could say much more than, "Uh," the attack struck. If Ed had to sum up the difference in Snape's touch on his mind as opposed to Hohenheim or Dumbledore's, he'd inevitably land on the word _slower_. This time, he could see entire scenes from his past, but that had a bad side, too, because he was unconsciously drawn toward an all-too-familiar memory…

"Okay, this is it, Al."

His younger brother nodded. Together, the two boys pressed their hands against the transmutation circle they had drawn on the stone floor, and a brilliant blue light filled the room. But then, the blue faded into a deep reddish-purple, throwing odd shadows on the walls.

"Ed, something doesn't feel right."

He could feel it, too, but he had to stay strong, for Al's sake at least. As he scanned his surroundings for some explanation, he heard a startled scream. When he turned back to look, he couldn't believe what he was seeing – no, he didn't want to believe it. Al, _his brother_, Alphonse, was being deconstructed before his eyes.

"Al!" At that moment, he felt a searing pain in his left leg. He, too, was being broken down. "It can't be… a rebound?"

"Brother! Ed! Help! ED!"

"AL!" He reached out for his baby brother, but just as he was about to grab hold, everything went white. He now stood in front of a tall set of stone double-doors, carved with intricate symbols.

"…Al?" he said timidly. "Wait, what was I doing. I just-"

"Hello," greeted an inhuman voice. Following the sound, he saw… It.

_No_, Ed's present consciousness begged. _No, I've seen this all before. I've lived it too many times. Stop it._ Despite his protests, the events proceeded just as he remembered, leading right up to the moment where his left leg had been deconstructed.

"It's the law of equivalent exchange," explained the Truth, grinning coldly, "right, young alchemist?"

The agony that hit him upon emerging from that white void was more than anything he'd ever experienced. Blood was everywhere, suffocating him with its metallic stench. _Come on_, Ed's mind pleaded. _You don't need to see this; just stop it, please!_

"Dammit!" he screamed, dragging himself toward the still-glowing circle. "This can't be happening! It can't be… This wasn't… This wasn't supposed to… NO! HE'S GONE! WHAT HAVE I DONE?" He dropped back to the floor, hating himself, wishing he could die. "Somebody help me… somebody… please, Mom. Mom, please…" It was then that he finally noticed the _thing_ they had created. It extended a trembling hand toward him, rasping as it tried to mouth words. Before he could act, however, something broke inside the creature, sending blood spraying in all directions, and the arm fell to the ground, lifeless.

"No," he sobbed. "This… this is wrong. This isn't… this isn't what we wanted!" He could see his little brother's empty clothes strewn on the floor; the sight felt like a stab straight to his heart. "Al… Alphonse… Alphonse! ALPHONSE! This is all my fault! Alphonse, no!"

He had to act quickly. Hastily binding up the stump that remained of his left leg, he toppled over the large suit of armor standing in the corner. "No, dammit… you won't take him, too! Give him back. He's my brother. Take my leg. Take my arm. TAKE MY HEART! ANYTHING, YOU CAN HAVE IT! Just give him back! HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER; HE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!" As his newfound knowledge surged through him, he pressed his hands together, ready to face the void.

When Ed woke, he was splayed on the cold, stone floor of Snape's office. The Potions Master stood over him, not _worried_, exactly, more like… _curious_.

"Did… did you see… all of that?" Ed panted, trying to calm his racing heart. Snape's eyes revealed that he had indeed. "Oh…" Sitting up and trying to put on a cheerful face, Ed said nervously, "Well, I'm sorry you got slammed with my worst memory, sir – one of them, at least."

"I'm sure it won't be the last time," said Snape curtly.

"So," the small blonde continued as he got back on his feet, "You can tell me bluntly; I'm lousy, aren't I?"

"No more so than I would have… expected. You at least realized what was happening and… however feebly, tried to stop it. That's a start. Now, let's see… how you fair when you can… defend yourself. Wand."

Ed moved to obey, but when he gripped the ash wand, it lashed out at him.

"What?" Ed demanded of it.

The dragon huffed, "You're still sulking about what happened in that underground chamber. Until you get over it, I won't help you."

"Why, you ungrateful-"

"Elric, who are you talking to?"

Ed felt his cheeks flush; he had momentarily forgotten that Snape was present. He tried to find a way to explain, but the words didn't come easily, "Uh, well… you see, sir, my wand… talks… to me…" It sounded just as crazy aloud as it did in his head.

Snape raised a skeptical eyebrow. "_Talks_ to you?"

"Yes, sir. It started only this past week, a day or so before the mess with the Homunculi started. Ollivander said its spirit was unbelievably strong, so I guess that could be the reason why it can communicate with me. That old wandmaker did imply it and I were two of a kind."

"Perhaps, but this doesn't seem that relevant to the lesson."

"Right, sir." Whispering to the wand, Ed added, "I _am_ over it, okay? Look, we need to set something straight. I'm sure you have all sorts of age-old wisdom that I can't fathom, or whatever, but _I'm_ the master here, got it, Horntail?"

"I had a name when I was alive, you know."

"I'm in charge; I can call you what I want."

"But… 'Horntail'? It's so… blah."

"No, it's not! It's freakin' _badass_!"

"You have horrible taste."

"Shut up." Wand in hand, Ed faced Snape, took a deep breath, and said at normal volume, "Sorry about that, sir; I'm ready now."

Thankfully, the Potions Master seemed wholly unperturbed. "You may use your wand to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of. _Legilimens_."

Ed was prepared this time. When Snape entered his mind, he was fully aware of it. Flashes of his past whizzed by until one came to the forefront…

He was standing on the platform of the Central train station, patting Winry on the back as she hugged him tightly.

"Edward?" she asked.

"What?"

"…Never mind. You'll figure it out eventually."

As Winry leaned in to kiss him, Ed's present consciousness tugged his attention away from the memory. _Hey, that's private!_

Unfortunately, this attempt only made things worse. Though the scene faded, another soon took its place, a stark contrast to its predecessor. He was in Father's lair, and Lust had her cold, strong arms wrapped around him. "There, isn't that better?"

_No, it's not!_ Ed's mind snapped. _This is the _last_ thing I want to think about!_

Stretching his willpower, Ed forced his left arm to move, pointing his wand toward a distant Snape. It took several exhausting tries, but he finally managed to speak an incantation. "_Protego_."

Immediately, something quite unexpected happened. Torrents of information that didn't belong to him poured through him, so quickly that he only caught one part of it: a single word. Realizing what must be happening, Ed cut off the flow, and his senses returned to the physical world. Snape's face was even paler than usual, as if Ed had just learned his darkest secrets. "A Shield Charm," he noted, "unorthodox, but… it would seem… effective, nonetheless." He glided across the floor until he stood over Ed, looking down at the boy over his hooked nose. "What… did you see?"

"Nothing, sir… nothing much, anyway." Snape waited for the small blonde to elaborate, so Ed mustered the courage to ask, "What's '_Sectumsempra'_?"

Snape's lip curled, but his expression otherwise remained unchanged. "A spell."

"For what?"

After a long pause, the professor answered, "For enemies." Before Ed could ask for further clarification, Snape waved a dismissive hand. "Think no more of it. Let us try again, and this time, focus on disarming me."

"Right."

And, with that, Snape attacked once more…

A suffocating force held him in place while the monster moved ever closer.

"This is your last chance to tell me," Father warned, "before I hurt you."

"I won't."

"Very well, then."

It was all happening again: the torment, the helplessness... He had to stop this; he didn't know if he could bear living through this hell another time. _Come on_, Ed urged, straining his will toward the hand and wand that felt so far away. _Move, dammit!_

"You're forcing it too much," advised Horntail. Ed could see the obsidian dragon in his mind's eye, its untamed magnificence almost overwhelming him.

_Not now_, Ed groaned in an annoyed tone.

"You wanted my help; here I am giving it to you."

_Fine, then. So, what should I do instead?_

"Try working _with_ me, idiot boy. I can guide your will where you want it to go."

_Really?_

"You've already done it before, in the Homunculi's lair."

_Oh, right._

Before Ed could follow Horntail's instructions, however, Father's presence began stressing the connection between boy and wand.

_Why the hell are _you_ back all of a sudden?_ Ed barked at the Homunculus. _It's bad enough with _one_ of you super-powerful freaks in my head!_

Father sighed as if he was explaining to a kindergartener that "two plus two equals four." _**Has it ever entered your mind, child, that I never leave?**_

_Let's just say I was hoping that wasn't the case._

_**Well then, I guess you're out of luck. Now, what are you going to do about this human – Snape? He's not nearly as powerful as the previous wizard, but I don't like him probing this deep.**_

_If you'll shut up, I can get on with that!_

The memory had almost reached its climax, and still, Ed couldn't project his will into the stick clutched tightly in his hand.

_**Are you going to stop him or not?**_ Father demanded.

_I'm trying!_ Ed snapped back.

_**Stop him. Do it now!**_

A wave of compelling force surged through Ed, carrying his own will along with it. The connection fortified, and, in that instant, he acted. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Snape's wand darted upward out of its owner's hand, and Ed's mind cleared instantly. Even though the small blonde was shaking and taking heaving breaths, he felt spectacular.

"Well done," said Snape, even though his tone sounded just as cold as ever. "It seems Occlumency comes almost as easily to you as Potions does."

Gulping down some much-needed air, Ed asked, "Is that why you volunteered, sir? Because I'm fair at Potions?"

After a small pause, the simple reply came, "No."

_Truly a man of few words_, thought Ed, marveling at Snape's terseness on the subject.

_**But, I have to agree with him on one thing: you did well.**_

_Shut the hell up, _Ed retorted mentally.

Father laughed. _**I think your insults are suffering from the law of diminishing returns – less effective each time. ******__All the same, you're already well on your way to being my servant, or didn't you realize you just followed my command?_  


Ed's heart dropped into his stomach like a stone. _That… that was just a coincidence, nothing more._

_**Make whatever excuse you like; it won't change the truth. Now, there's the matter of this "professor." He needs to know where his boundaries are.**_

_And how are you going to-_ Ed's thoughts were cut off by a sudden tension throughout his body, focusing around his throat. Then, he went limp, collapsing into a slumped sitting position like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

"Elric?" Snape's voice was calm, yet alert.

Ed began to speak, but the words weren't his. "Next to Hohenheim, or that Dumbledore fellow, _you_ aren't much of a threat." Even though Ed couldn't see the Potions Master's face, he could guess that Snape had some inkling of what was going on. "Because of that, and also because it serves _my_ purposes," he continued, "I'll humor you. Teach the boy if you like, but tread carefully. Trying to displace me will only result in his suffering… maybe even his death."

"So… if I were to ignore this warning?" Snape challenged.

"Need I repeat myself? Every time you probe too deep, you will cause him pain. He's already begged for death when experiencing it before – just food for thought."

Once Father's presence had receded from his body, Ed looked up at Snape. "He's gone, for now."

The professor nodded gravely. "I think… we should leave it at that… for tonight. If you can manage it, I would like to see you here tomorrow, at the same time."

"Yes, sir." Having stood, he started to bow, but caught himself. "Thank you."

Just before Ed stepped out of the office, Snape's voice stopped him. "That's why."

"Sir?"

"_That_ is why I volunteered."

"What is?"

"You show respect without… brown nosing. It's refreshing."

Ed blinked. He was usually labeled as the insubordinate punk, not the respectful pupil. All the same, he was glad that he had indeed made a good impression on the Potions Master. With a half-smile and a final "good night," Ed closed the door behind him and headed straight to Ravenclaw Tower and bed.

* * *

"I donna get it!" Terry groaned as the five Ravenclaw boys walked together. "How can ya _enjoy_ private lessons with _Snape_?"

"He's really not as bad as everyone makes him out to be," Ed insisted. It had been a little more than two weeks since the start of his Occlumency lessons, and – overall – things were going smoothly… well, except for the times when the mental effort gave him a moderate nosebleed or else knocked him out completely. On the upside, though, he hadn't heard the Homunculus's voice in his head for a good while, so his training had to be counting for _something_.

Terry sighed. "If you say so." Then, something caught his attention. "Oh, perfect timing. Watch this."

"Watch what?" Kevin asked, looking around in confusion.

Anthony, however, knew what his friend was plotting. "Terry, if you're talking about Malfoy coming this way…"

"Oi, Malfoy!" Terry drew the Slytherin's attention as the pale, blonde boy crossed the Ravenclaws' path. "Did ya know Ed's landed private lessons with Snape?"

"Terry," Ed hissed. "Not helpful."

Malfoy looked like he was trying to lay an egg the size of a Quaffle, and when he caught Ed's eye, his face turned even whiter than its normal color. "So? What's that matter to me? Maybe he needs remedial Potions or something."

"Are you mental?" Anthony inserted. "Ed has the best grade in the class; he's the _last_ person who would need extra Potions lessons."

"_Really_ not helping, you guys," Ed said a little louder, giving Malfoy looks of _"Just ignore them"_ around Terry's broad shoulders. The Slytherin raised an eyebrow, confused as to why Ed would be trying to help him. Ed didn't fully get it himself, but _mostly_ he still felt bad about half-strangling the jerk.

"If you're trying to rile me up, find other entertainment," the pale boy drawled at last, resuming his walk.

Ed let out a sigh of relief. "Terry, _please_ don't do that again, unless you want us posted on a Death Eater hit list. Malfoy's already plenty sore at me, so don't make it worse."

Just then, Hermione ran up to the cluster. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Ed answered. "Is something up?"

"Well, you know the Hogsmeade trip on the first week of October?"

"Uh…" Once again, Ed was in the dark.

"We get to go down into the village on special weekends," Kevin explained to the young alchemist.

"Okay. What about it, Hermione?"

"Meet us in the Hog's Head as soon as you arrive in the village."

"So, we're actually going to do it, then?" Anthony asked hesitantly.

Hermione nodded vigorously, sending her bushy brown hair bouncing in all directions.

"We'll be there," Michael assured her.

"Someone want to clue me in again?" asked Ed.

"You'll see," teased Terry.

* * *

And so, on the first weekend of October, Ed found himself trailing behind his Wizard friends into an eclectic collection of houses and shops. It almost seemed like a miniature Diagon Alley, just with less pizzazz. The crisp autumn air had given Ed an excuse to wear his trademark coat, and he was glad he had something familiar to cling to when his surroundings were new and bizarre. When the boys entered the Hog's Head, it didn't take long for them to locate their Gryffindor comrades. Harry, Hermione, and the four Weasleys were waiting in a corner of the eerie pub, sipping from tankards of frothy beverage that – for a moment – Ed mistook to be alcohol.

"You made it," Hermione beamed, beckoning the Ravenclaws over. As they approached, Ed caught it again: a meaningful glance between Michael and Ginny. Once was coincidence; twice was starting to look suspicious.

"So, what's the big deal?" the small blonde began, pulling up a stool next to the table where his friends sat.

"We're recruiting for our secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group," whispered Fred and George in unison.

"Cool, so why is no one else here?"

"I gave everyone else a specific time to arrive," explained Hermione, "but I needed to make sure _you_ were here before them, Ed."

"Huh? Why's that?"

She chewed on her lip for a moment, as if deciding how best to say something. "Because… we want – I want – you to help."

"Okay," nodded Ed, not really understanding why she seemed hesitant.

"To help Harry."

"Okay."

"Help Harry… teach… us."

_That_ bit took longer to sink in. "…Huh?"

"Well, think about it," said Kevin genially. "Harry's got lots of experience fighting the Dark Arts, and you've got lots of experience… fighting."

"You _are_ the one who keeps saying we wizards need to know how to hold our own without wands," pointed out Ginny.

"Yeah, but-"

"Come on, Ed," egged on Ron. "We'll find someplace secret to meet so Umbridge can't find us, and it'll be in the evenings so classes won't get in the way for anyone. It's _foolproof_."

"The _fool_ being _you_," Ginny teased, playfully punching her brother's arm.

Feeling trapped, the young alchemist gave his friends a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Why not?" All six Gryffindors demanded.

"Because," Michael filled in before Edward could explain himself, "Ed's already booked. He has private lessons with Snape every evening."

This information produced even more shock than Ed's refusal had.

"Private lessons?" echoed Hermione.

"With _Snape_?" gaped Harry.

"Every evening?" Fred and George moaned.

"How do you survive?" asked Ginny in summation.

"It's really not that bad," Ed said defensively.

"So he _says_," snorted Terry, "but he's out like a light as soon as he makes it ta bed."

"Look, the point is, I can't be in two places at once."

"But, what you're missing, Ed," Anthony interjected, "is that you can easily get out of those lessons on the nights when our group will meet. Seeing as how Snape favors you and all, I don't think it would be difficult for you to ask for a break every now and then. You did tell us he doesn't want you wearing yourself out too much."

"He doesn't _favor_ me," the small blonde corrected.

"Regardless," said Michael, "Anthony's idea is sound."

Ed tried to come up with more excuses, but there was no stopping his friends now. "You're not scared, are you, Ed?" George asked at last, his eyebrows bouncing dramatically.

"No," Ed refuted, starting to get a little angry now, "I'm no good at teaching. I lose my temper too quickly. I…" he stopped himself just in time, but the train of thought played out in his mind: _I've got a psychopath in my head; what if he comes out, takes over? Someone could get hurt – I don't want that._

"Look, Ed," said Harry calmly. "This is my first time to do anything like this either, and I think it'll be easier for both of us if we do it together."

The small blonde met the sincere emerald gaze directed at him, and again there was a feeling that he and Harry understood one another. Ed sighed; if something really _did_ go wrong, at least he'd have friends like these at his side.

"Okay."

Hermione looked like she could have flown around the room for joy. Before anything more could be said on the matter, however, the door of the Hog's Head opened again, and again, and again. Students poured into the dingy pub, totaling at around thirty when Ed did a rapid head count. Other than Luna, Neville Longbottom, Lee Jordan, and Padma Patil, he didn't recognize any of the newcomers, which hardly calmed the butterflies quickly swarming in his stomach.

When Hermione started the meeting by nervously saying, "Uh, well… uh… hi," Ed mostly tuned out the events of the meeting, but when some guy named Zacharias Smith turned up his nose at Harry's account of Voldemort's return, Ed threw the punk a lethal glare that produced a thoroughly satisfying effect. Still, Smith persisted, sneering when Harry explained how many of his "accomplishments" had mainly been luck.

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" said Smith.

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but Ed beat him to it. "Either _shut_ the hell _up_ or _get_ the hell _out_! You're pissing me off!"

Instantly, every eye in the room was on him. Harry honestly looked like he wanted to laugh, as did Fred and George, but most everyone else just acted like Ed was some kind of monster they had just noticed lurking in the corner (well, up to that point, he actually _had_ been lurking in the corner…).

"Well," grinned Harry, "if you're going to speak up, you may as well join me up here, Ed."

The small blonde shrugged and complied, strongly desiring to get this over with. The pairs of curious eyes followed him all the way to Harry's side.

"I know most, if not all, of you have probably heard about Ed, but-"

"Thanks, Harry, but I can introduce myself," Ed interrupted. Looking a little relieved, Harry nodded. Ed faced his audience with a slightly stern expression. If Harry was comfortable as the good cop, Ed felt just fine playing bad cop. "As Harry was probably about to say, I'm Edward Elric. Yeah, the Edward Elric who snuck out of school for a week."

"How ever _did_ you manage that?" piped up Smith, who seemed thrilled at the chance to berate a new speaker.

Fred and George swooped down on either side of the ingrate, each one tapping a side of the boy's nose as they chortled, "Ask us no questions, and we'll tell you no lies."

As Smith waved off the twins, Ed cleared his throat in preparation to continue. He wasn't used to talking in front of crowds, but finding familiar faces like Luna's and Kevin's worked wonders. "I'm here because Harry and Hermione asked me to teach you lot how to fight in close quarters… without a wand."

Nearly all the jaws in the audience dropped. "Whatever for?" asked someone Ed didn't know.

"Because it will give you an advantage. You wizards seem to think you're defenseless unless you've got a wand, and that's just stupid. Not too long ago, I beat Malfoy in a duel without a single spell."

"It's true," confirmed Luna. "I saw the whole thing."

"If, at the end of this, you want to be able to hold your own against a Death Eater, you've got to have tricks up your sleeve, and fist-fighting is the last thing they'll expect." He was getting comprehending nods at this point, encouraging him to go on, but Ed had run out of things to say. Looking to Harry, he appended, "Don't get the wrong idea, though; since this _is_ the Wizarding World, knowing how to fight fire with fire is crucial, and Harry's just the man to teach you for that."

A pretty girl who almost looked Xingese suddenly asked, "Why do you say it like that?"

Harry instantly flushed across the cheekbones, and Ed hurried to cover for his friend. "You've lost me; what do you mean?"

"I'm talking about _you_, Edward. You say things like "you wizards" and "since this is the Wizarding World" as if… as if you're not a wizard. But, that's obviously impossible since you're a student here… isn't it?"

Now it was Ed's turn to feel embarrassed. "Well… uh…" Seeing a subtle headshake from both Hermione and Michael, Ed managed, "That story will have to wait, sorry."

The students all seemed to discern from Ed's words that he was hiding something _big_ that couldn't be shared in an open establishment like this, and that realization drew their interest. They began whispering amongst themselves in earnest until Hermione took control of the situation once more. Ed was glad to slink back to his corner; he hadn't realized how draining public speaking was. His head was pounding, and that didn't help his quickly deteriorating mood. All sound around him distorted into an annoying cacophony, using his eardrums as punching bags. After a long time, Ed felt a hand on his shoulder, and Harry's voice slowly reached him. "Ed? They've all left now."

The small blonde mustered a weak smile. "Good. Great. Did everything finish well, then?"

"I think so," said Hermione. "You're the only one who hasn't signed your name on the list."

"List?"

"Blimey, mate," Ron marveled, "you must have _really_ zoned out. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just tired is all," Ed grumbled. "Where's this list, then?"

Once Ed wrote his name at the bottom of the parchment Hermione handed him, their merry band trudged back toward the school (except for Fred and George, who scampered off with Lee to make some secretive purchases). As they set off, Michael fell back in step alongside Ginny, and the two began to talk in conspiratorial voices. Ed caught a brief, but wholly genuine smile on his dormmate's face, and the sight shocked him so much that he stopped in his tracks.

"Ed?" asked Harry. "What's up?"

When Ed said nothing but continued to gape at the trailing pair of Michael and Ginny, Hermione let slip a little gasp of realization. "Oh, Merlin's hat! Michael hasn't told you, has he, Ed?"

"Told him what?" asked Ron, now looking a little concerned.

"Well, Ginny's been seeing Michael since sometime last year."

"SHE WHAT?" Ron's horror-struck cry caught the attention of the guilty couple; even Michael blushed a little.

"Been found out, have we?" Ginny said almost at once, seizing control of the conversation. "Well, Ron, it's none of your business who I go out with."

"But… but…"

"Oh, close that blubbering fish mouth of yours, Ronald. It's not very becoming to gawk." With that acerbic remark, Ginny looped her arm in Michael's and confidently strode on up the hill with him in tow.

Luna played with her scarf as she sighed, "Well, that actually went much better than I thought it would."

The remaining Weasley folded his arms and led the group in resuming their climb, muttering, "I still don't approve. That's _my sister_ he's dating. I should whale on him."

"Ron, please," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "If Ginny had decided to go out with… Ed, for example, would you whale on _him_?"

"No, probably not… but only because I know I'd likely end up in the hospital wing! Ed's capable of murder when he's in a state!"

Ed halted once again, taken aback by Ron's words. "Wh… where did you hear that?" he asked shakily, glancing at Harry for an explanation. He had hoped that the Gryffindor wouldn't tell anyone else about the incident with Malfoy; it was bad enough that _he_ had to live with that knowledge.

"I didn't," said Ron perplexedly. "Did I say something wrong? You look awful."

Ed hoped his lip wasn't trembling as he fought to maintain his calm. "I'm fine."

"Ed," Hermione pressed, walking back toward him. "I've told Harry, and I'll tell you: don't shut us out. We're your friends. We want to help you if something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

"Is Snape giving ya a hard time?" asked Terry concernedly.

"No!" answered Ed, raising his voice sharply. "Enough with Snape! Why the hell do you all hate him so much? Snape's trying to _help_ me, which is more than any of you can do by pestering me with questions!" Not waiting for a follow-up, he stormed past them. As he crested the hill, the only thing that could make this day _worse_ happened.

_**Well, well, aren't we in a bad mood? **_Father sounded infuriatingly pleased.

"Shut up," snapped Ed, not bothering to keep his thoughts to himself as he kept walking.

_**Why did the Weasley boy's words affect you so strongly? Because they're true?**_

"Like hell they are! I've never killed anyone; I couldn't!"

_**Now you're just flat-out lying. You nearly killed that pureblood, Malfoy. And there were times before that… like with Shou Tucker.**_

"Don't you dare bring _him_ up!" Ed yelled, even though he knew any threats he made were empty.

_**Not to mention the souls you knowingly used up to transport yourself out of Gluttony's stomach. According to **_**your**_** definition of what a human is, that would count as murder, wouldn't it?**_

"Just _shut up_!" His voice was cracking now.

_**Perhaps the evidence just isn't fresh enough in your mind to convince you… an easily remedied problem.**_

And as sharply as if someone had flipped a light switch, Ed plummeted into his own personal hell.

* * *

Harry was worried, very worried. He had clearly seen Ed's expression as the short blonde charged off alone, and he knew it all too well.

"What was that about?" Ron ogled.

"We should go after him," Harry advised.

"I don't know," said Hermione. "He seemed like he wanted to be alone."

"I would leave him be," shrugged Anthony, and Terry nonverbally supported this option.

Before Harry could voice his concerns again, the wind carried a pained cry to his ears. Kevin must have heard it, too, because he immediately clambered up the hill. Before the white-haired boy had even disappeared from view, he shrieked, "Ed!"

That got everyone's attention. Within seconds, they had all reached the crest. What Harry saw made him sympathize with how Ron and Hermione must feel every time his scar burned: panicked and helpless. Ed had collapsed onto the grass, where he now lay thrashing and screaming. Kevin was already at his side, calling his name, but Ed seemed incapable of recognizing anything around him.

"Stop it!" the small blonde begged, shielding his face with his hands as if trying to block out an image. "Oh, God! Stop, please!"

"We've got to do something!" Hermione shouted over Ed's cries. "At this rate, he's going to hurt himself."

Harry nodded, but the words coming from his friend made him hesitate.

"I didn't mean for you to die! I didn't want it! Please, forgive me! Nina, Hughes, please forgive me!"

"Harry! What are you waiting for?" Ron asked as he tried to hold Ed down.

"Sorry," apologized Harry, coming to help, but the others remained paralyzed.

"Ed," Kevin pleaded. "Ed, come on. It's us. Can't you hear me?"

Whatever Ed's wide, terror-stricken eyes were seeing, it wasn't the cluster of his friends. He flailed within Harry and Ron's grip. "No! NO! I'm not like you! I'M NOT! Al! Al, tell him I'm not!" Ed screamed again before breaking down into choked sobs. "But, I am, aren't I? I killed those people – all those souls, gone… because of me. God, I'm a monster just like them! Just end it! KILL ME! SOMEBODY KILL ME, PLEASE!"

Something snapped inside Harry; he couldn't stand to let this continue. "Ron, back away."

"What?"

"Just do it!"

The redhead obeyed, looking more than a little scared by his friend's ferocity. Harry roughly pulled Ed into a siting position and, without another word, slapped him across the face.

"HARRY!" gasped Hermione.

"What the hell are ya doin'?" demanded Terry.

Their protests were in vain. Harry couldn't explain it, but somehow, he knew that he was doing the right thing, and that Ed would do the same for him. He kept up the barrage until a metallic grip on his wrist stayed his hand.

"…Ed?" Harry asked at last. "Back in the land of the living?"

Unfortunately, these words were not well chosen. A bleary-eyed Ed trembled violently, keeled over, and vomited to one side.

"Oh, God," breathed Hermione in utter shock.

"Maybe we should take him to the hospital wing?" proposed Luna.

"No." Harry's voice was firm, unwavering. If he were in Ed's position, the hospital wing would be the last place he would want to go.

"Who died and left _you_ in charge?" Anthony snorted.

"Stop it!" Kevin cried, unashamedly letting hot tears stream down his face. "Ed's obviously hurt, and you're bickering about who's making decisions!"

At that moment, the small blonde coughed and shakily stammered, "…I… I'm… fine… now…"

"Don't try to play that 'tough-guy' card on us, Ed," Harry advised. "We're too smart for that."

"Yeah, we're na' leavin' this spot until ya tell us what the hell just happened," nodded Terry.

Ed wiped his mouth and unsteadily got to his feet. "I… I appreciate your concern, guys… but I don't want to talk about it."

"Tough," retorted Ron, blocking Ed's path back to the school. Harry could see genuine fear in the alchemist's golden eyes, and it compelled him to speak.

"Please, Ed," he said supportively, "We can't help you if you shut us out."

"You can't help me anyway." Ed's words hit them like a solid wall. Nevertheless, their pleading faces eventually forced him to relent. "The Homunculi's leader… he didn't just _read_ my mind; he _invaded_ it. He's in my head _right now_." He paused as his gaze dropped to his boots. "The reason I didn't want to teach is because I'm worried that he'll use that opportunity to hurt someone. He's already _spoken_ through me, and he might be able to take me over completely."

Harry noticed Hermione cover her mouth as her eyes misted. "Oh, Ed…"

"Don't you dare pity me!" Ed snarled, his temper flaring. "I don't need anyone's pity." He then realized how sharp his reply had been and forced himself to calm down. "Look, Snape's teaching me Occlumency so that we can try to break the connection, but until then… I'm a liability. I _want_ to help with the group, but I feel as though I shouldn't."

Harry sighed; he could now understand how frustrating it was to be on the other end of such defensive tactics. "Fair enough, Ed, but I still want you to help me teach." When Ed opened his mouth to argue, Harry pressed on, "If something _does happen_, if you think you're going to lose it, we'll be there. If we didn't do that, what kind of friends would we be? So, please, just chuck that 'loner' plan of yours, because now that we know, we're going to do our best to look out for you, whatever that means."

Ed muttered something like, "You sound like a bunch of nannies," but an appreciative smile was slowly working its way onto his face. "Damn, it seems you guys are just as stubborn as I am."

Harry placed a reassuring hand on Ed's shoulder. "Come on." And so, the two rebel leaders headed the front of their group as they resumed their ascent to the school.

"So," asked Ed as his spirits began to improve, "what did we end up calling our band of misfits?"

"Oh, uh… we didn't," said Hermione. "We decided we'd save that until our next meeting."

"Aw," Ed pouted. "I was hoping we'd come up with some badass title for ourselves."

"Whoever said it had ta be 'badass'?" chuckled Terry.

"It should be something that strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies."

"Ed, I don't think-" Harry tried to insert, but Ed was getting carried away now.

"What about 'The Kick Umbridge's Ass Association'?"

An uncomfortable silence followed this suggestion, broken eventually by Ron. "No offense mate, but you've got horrible taste."

"He has none at all," corrected Anthony. "You should see the way he makes his bed. It looks like the wake of a tornado."

"Lay off, would ya?" snapped Ed, turning a little pink around the ears. "No one's perfect."

All the same, when the rest of them laughed good-naturedly, he joined in. Harry felt the knot that had formed in his gut during Ed's confession loosen; it was good to hear him laugh. As they reached the outer walls of the castle, Harry hoped Ed would have many more chances to smile like this, to forget for a little while the heavy burden he carried.

* * *

A/N: Even though I didn't put it overtly, Ed and Al are still coding their correspondences. Oh, Al… I think you're going to worry about Ed even more than _he_ will.

"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape." He is one of my favorite characters, for sure. I adapted one of his lines directly from a lesson with Harry. I hope I didn't lose you during Ed's mental conversations – I tried to differentiate the speakers using combinations of bold, italics, etc.

"Horntail" – I know it's not the most creative name for the dragon, but you can blame it on Ed's lame sense of taste. The same argument works for "The Kick Umbridge's Ass Association."

Harry's POV is fun ^_^


	14. An Unexpected Field Trip

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry there was such a gap between updates. I am finishing an illustration project. I'm being _paid_, so it's technically _work_, which means I need to prioritize it before _NiS_. Alas…

Okay, prepare for a deluge of _Brotherhood! _It might be the last time we have plot developments in Amestris…

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!

**Breyannia**: Fear not! I will not abandon this baby! If I did that, I would be driven insane by the unwritten ideas! I can understand being impatient – I'm guilty of it with the fanfictions I read, too.

**Animagus**: Wow, good catch! Harry will have a talk with him since the issue will come up again in this chapter. Thank you for keeping me in check. Um… truthfully, I'm too lazy to put the research into coming up with a good name for the dragon. I'm afraid you'll have to put up with Ed's tastes, sorry. XD

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**An Unexpected Field Trip**

Before long, Harry informed Ed that their meetings would take place in a secret room on the seventh floor called The Room of Requirement. On his first visit to the spot, Ed was completely baffled by the idea of _thinking_ a door into being, even though everyone else made it sound so easy. After several tries, though, he eventually got the hang of it, more or less. On the night of the initial meeting, Ed joined his coconspirators in The Room with high hopes. Maybe teaching wouldn't be so bad after all.

The first order of business was choosing a name for the group, and, in the end, they landed on "Dumbledore's Army." Ed still didn't think it was as cool as "The Kick Umbridge's Ass Association," but since no one else shared his opinion, he forfeited to the general consensus. After that important decision, the throng of students demanded that Ed reveal his big secret, pestering him until he complied. He did his best to make his story concise and comprehensible while never mentioning the actual name of Amestris – the Fidelius Charm had been strained enough already without him making it worse. The effort was so exhausting that, as soon as he had finished, he flumped gratefully into an armchair that popped into existence for that very purpose. He had to give The Room of Requirement props; it really lived up to its name. The DA ("Dumbledore's Army" had quickly been abbreviated to such) seemed to split in its response to Ed's tale. There were the few people who just didn't believe him, the majority of students who seemed at least a little impressed by him… and the cluster of girls who now goggled at him as if he were a god in human form. Personally, Ed saw the final group posing the biggest problem; he was here to teach life-saving defense skills, not inspire a fanclub.

"Right," Harry called. "Shall we get practicing, then?" With that, the meeting launched into full-swing. As Harry gave instructions and advice for the Disarming Charm, Ed milled around the back of the room, people-watching. Poor Neville Longbottom didn't seem to have any idea what he was supposed to do, especially since he had been left partnerless. Ed and Harry exchanged a brief nonverbal communiqué, and the small blonde quickly headed toward the lone member.

"Hey, Neville, long time no talk," Ed greeted. "You can practice on me."

"Really?" Neville's eyes shone with gratitude and eagerness. "I… I'm not very good, though."

"That's why we're practicing."

"Oh… right."

"On the count of three, then," Harry announced. "One, two, three!"

Ed quickly noticed that very few of the students had any competence with this simple spell. Even some people he wouldn't have expected to have trouble were running into problems. Michael and Ginny had teamed up, but the normally cool-headed analyst seemed to have become increasingly nervous now that his secret liaison with the youngest Weasley had been exposed. He seemed unwilling to jinx her at all, which just ended up making him look pathetic. Ed was so distracted by this comical situation that Neville caught him unawares.

"_Expelliarmus!_" When Ed's wand flew out of his hand, Neville said gleefully, "I did it! I've never done it before – I did it!"

"Good one," Ed grinned encouragingly, not wanting to dampen his partner's mood by pointing out that his success had been a lucky shot.

All in all, the evening ended far too quickly. Even Ed let escape a groan when Harry called the spellcasting to a halt. Once the next meeting time had been decided, the students dispersed to their common rooms.

"That was fun," said Kevin giddily.

"It was certainly instructive," agreed Anthony.

"I canna wait fer the next wun!" said Terry.

Michael said nothing, trailing behind the others in his embarrassment. Luna came alongside him and tried to lift his spirits, saying Ron would get over his urge to strangle Michael in due time. Her whimsical efforts almost made Ed want to laugh, but he restrained himself to spare Michael's feelings. When at last they reached Ravenclaw Tower, Ed let exhaustion overcome him and fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

The next several meetings of the DA proceeded smoothly, and Ed had to admit that he welcomed the breaks from Occlumency lessons. So far, he had been able to keep Snape from discovering his real reasons for wanting nights off (he had mastered enough of the skill to protect that vital information), but still he feared that the professor could… _read_ him, with or without Legilimency.

As the middle of October passed, Ed realized he had fallen into a rhythm of normalcy at Hogwarts. Whether he considered this to be a good or bad thing was another matter altogether. He was glad that he didn't get lost on his way to class anymore, but he was disappointed with himself for not continually feeling homesick. Whenever he thought of Al, he immediately felt guilty for not having thought of his little brother all the time. Getting Al's body back was supposed to be the driving force of his entire existence, so how could he possibly excuse himself for going days at a time without thinking about his own little brother?

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, life intervened to remind Edward of his priorities. At the start of the fifth DA convening, Kevin scampered in later than usual.

"Wha' kept ya?" Terry asked him.

The young Ishvalan panted as if he had run all throughout the castle before arriving. He looked to Ed and held out a half-crumpled envelope. "For you," he gasped. "The owl wouldn't leave me alone until I promised it I'd bring this to you straightaway."

Ed accepted the letter. Several other members of the DA had stopped what they were doing to watch him. "As you were," he instructed in proper military fashion before reading the contents of his mail (ignoring the envelope as usual and skipping right to the main event). It took a second for him to realize it, but the letter was formatted in the standard code of the Amestrian Military. Now, Ed was definitely paying attention.

_Fullmetal,_

_You're probably thinking, "What kind of nerve does that bastard Colonel have, writing me?" Don't deny it; I know you are. Well, get over it; this is important._

_On the surface, things have been unnaturally quiet here. I'm getting reports of peace negotiations succeeding on all sides, of long and bloody border wars finally coming to an end. These developments tell me that the Homunculi are withdrawing from Amestris. That's the only way things make sense. The problem is, I don't think they'll just up and leave without tying up some loose ends, and by loose ends, I mean people who know of their existence, people who worked with or against them. Fuhrer Bradley hasn't made any drastic moves yet, but I've heard credible rumors that the senior staff is in danger. Not that I really care about that lot of self-serving bastards, but principles are at stake here. Something big is going to happen here in Central, Fullmetal. By the time you get this letter, my guess is that it will already have started. I'll admit it: I'd really appreciate your help against the coming storm. Got that? I WANT YOUR HELP. I know you're not supposed to leave that school anymore, but your father and brother aren't here, and it's not like I'd snitch on you. You can use the Portkey safely; I'll make sure my office is secure at all times so that you won't be spotted coming or going. Don't make me order you to get your ass over here, kid._

_Mustang_

_P.S. If you're wondering how I was able to send this, blame Hohenheim. He left one of those pesky birds with me for that very purpose._

Almost immediately after Ed had reached the bottom of the message, Michael, who had snuck up behind Ed to look over his shoulder, asked, "Why is that handwriting a woman's?"

Ed stifled a snort, plagued with a sudden mental image of Colonel Mustang working on his calligraphy, but he quickly got ahold of himself. "That'd be Lieutenant Hawkeye's. The Colonel probably dictated it to her so he wouldn't have to write it himself, the lazy jerk." Then, Ed's expression became more somber. "I'm guessing you deciphered it." Michael's silence said all. "I should go. It's _my_ country after all; I can't just abandon it."

"Why you? Or, perhaps I should say, why only you?"

"Huh? You mean let some other people tag along?"

"Exactly. Tell Harry and see what he thinks."

"But-"

"Ed, practical application is what this group is all about, and now an opportunity has arrived. It'll be like… a field trip."

"You make it sound like this'll be a walk in the park." Nevertheless, Ed meandered through the practicing students to find Harry.

When the young alchemist finished relaying the situation, Harry immediately replied, "Michael's right. Of course we're going to help you. You'd do the same for us if Hogwarts was being attacked."

Ed could see there would be no dissuading him, so he decided to change tactics. "Okay, then. At least let _me_ tell them… bluntly."

"That is your area of expertise," agreed Harry jokingly. Ed couldn't help but notice something fake in that smile; he'd seen it in Hermione, Ron, everyone who'd witnessed his breakdown in Hogsmeade. What had he screamed while Father had thrown all of his darkest memories in his face? And why did they all seem so afraid to bring it up? Then again, as long as _they_ didn't want to talk about it, neither did he. It was bad enough that, ever since that horrible day, Shou Tucker haunted his dreams… and every night, Ed beat him to death while the maniac cackled about how Ed really was _just like him_.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Ed cleared his throat loudly so that everyone could tell he had an announcement to make. All sound died in the room as the DA gave Ed its full attention. The young alchemist took a deep breath; now was not the time to let inexperience in public speaking hinder him.

"I just got a letter from my commander, back in my country. He says something _big_ is happening, possibly at this very moment. I want to offer – to _any_ of you – the chance to come with me and fight. But… I'll tell you plainly, it could get extremely dangerous. I'm talking about a potential all-out war zone. You'd be surprised how destructive Muggle fighting can get in situations like that, how horrific the carnage it leaves behind can be. The point is… only volunteer if you're _absolutely_ sure you can handle it."

His words sent a chill throughout the students assembled. After a long moment, Kevin raised his hand. _That_ sent off a chain reaction: Michael, Fred and George, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Harry all raised their hands as well. Terry gave Ed an apologetic look and said, "I would, but I've got a weaker stomach than you'd think. The kind of graphic stuff you're talking about… I don't think I could handle it, so I'd only slow you down."

Anthony huffed, "Besides, someone _competent_ has to stay and cover for all of you."

"I don't expect we'll be gone more than a few hours," noted Ed.

"Still… what if some of you don't come back?"

Everyone gasped at Anthony's bluntness. People who had been debating about volunteering quickly changed their minds.

"We'll all come back," Ed assured them. "Or, at least, I'll make sure everyone else comes back."

_Whack!_ Harry had smacked him on the back of the head. "Quit sounding like such a martyr, Ed. I thought that was _my_ job."

In spite of himself, Ed grinned. Getting a nod of approval from Harry, Ed told the students, "Okay, everyone who isn't coming, good job tonight, but you should go get some sleep now." Once the DA had whittled down to the eleven-man team, Ed briefed them on the basic layout of Central Command and the surrounding streets, assigning partners so as best to balance their strengths. Then, at last, they snuck out of the castle.

"Is that the Portkey, then?" asked Ron, pointing at the battered desk lamp at it sat forlornly on the floor of the Shrieking Shack's living room. They had all discarded their outer robes, and some – including Ed – had even removed their sweaters and ties; after all, dexterity would be an important factor.

"Yep," confirmed Ed. "Now, everyone make sure that we touch it together, okay? I don't want to have to come back for anyone."

"Right," said Harry. "On three? One, two, three!"

One nauseating merry-go-round whirl later, they stood in Colonel Mustang's office, and the boom of canon fire could be heard outside, illuminating the night sky with its fireworks. Only seconds after they had landed, Sergeant Fuery stepped inside.

"Oh, my gosh!" He yelped, saluting Ed at once. "Fullmetal, sir!"

"At ease, Fuery," Ed waved, grinning at the bespectacled soldier. "Although, you have _no idea_ how good it feels to hear that name again."

Then Falman stuck his head in. "Fuery, what's taking so long? Gaaagh! Fullmetal, sir!"

Harry whispered to Ed, "Is it always like this?"

"Well, technically speaking, I hold the same rank as a Major," the small blonde chuckled nervously. Falman called over his shoulder, and soon Colonel Mustang had stormed in and clapped Ed on the shoulders.

"Glad you could make it to the party. As I suspected, Bradley has slaughtered the senior staff, and now the city's in chaos." He stopped for a moment to inspect the "troops" Ed had brought, and he didn't seem very impressed. "Are you sure these kids can handle this?"

"They're all right," Ed shrugged, secretly glorying in the fact that Mustang hadn't lumped him with the kids. "Okay, everyone. You know your partners are, and the Colonel will tell you where to fill in.

"Hang on!" Michael protested. "What are _you_ doing, then?"

Ed smiled resignedly. "I knew you'd ask that eventually. I'm going down to the sewers… to find the Homunculi."

"Unacceptable!" Mustang thundered. "I'm not going to let you go down there alone!"

"They'll just kill anyone who comes with me, but, apparently, I'm still valuable to them."

"But what if they, I dunno, try to take you hostage or something?" asked Harry.

Ed's expression remained unchanged, like a prisoner going to his execution. He tapped his forehead as he reminded them, "I'm already their hostage, Harry. What more can they do to me?" Pushing past Mustang, Ed headed out into the hallway. All of the other soldiers must have moved out, because the passage was deserted. Ed was about to turn the corner when he heard Harry again.

"Ed! Wait a moment!"

The small blonde complied, letting his friend catch up. "Something up?" he asked casually.

"This is a battlefield," said Harry, panting slightly.

"Yeah."

"And you're a soldier."

"Yeah."

Harry set his brow as if bracing himself for an explosion. "So, are you going to kill anyone else?"

His words were like a whiplash across the face. A dazed Ed stammered, "'E… else'?"

"I haven't known how to tell you this, but… that day in Hogsmeade, you said you'd _killed_ people, and something about their souls being _gone_."

Ed bit his lip as he mustered the courage to explain. "Philosopher's Stones… they're made from human life, human souls. Knowing that… I still used one. I took its energy and used it for my own ends. The people trapped inside that Stone… I _as good as killed_ them, what was left of them, at any rate. Ever since, I've been skirting that line, but I've already crossed over it, whether I admit it to myself or not." Ed looked Harry directly in the eyes. "You're a much nobler person than I am, Harry. Please, don't _ever_ cross that line; it isn't worth it."

With that solemn charge, Ed turned and descended toward the noises of battle.

* * *

When Harry returned to the office, the others had already formed their pairs: Fred and George (Ed wouldn't have dreamed of separating them), Ron and Hermione, Neville and Luna, Michael and Ginny, leaving Kevin with him. Colonel Mustang directed the wizards to their respective destinations before returning to his own troops, wishing them all good luck.

"Why do ya think Ed hates his guts so much?" Ginny asked. "He doesn't seem all that bad."

"Are you referring to his personality or his looks?" Ron teased. "I thought you already _had_ a boyfriend."

"Ron!" Hermione chided, whapping the elder Weasley upside the head. "Colonel Mustang is around thirty years old! What goes on in that perverted mind of yours?"

"Okay, okay!" Harry shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Save the squabbling for later. Come on, Kevin."

The young Ishvalan nodded and followed him from the room. Ed hadn't been joking when he'd said Central might have become a war zone. As he clambered over a chunk of rubble, he was glad Ed had told them not to wear robes; in a situation like this, they would have only been cumbersome. He and Kevin kept low to the ground as they passed lines of soldiers shooting at each other. Once they checked in with one Lieutenant Hawkeye, the two set about stunning Central troops as subtly as possible – Ed had assured them that using magic openly wouldn't go down very well.

This tactic proved viable for quite a while… until a new enemy appeared. At first, Harry didn't know what to make of them, and Kevin nearly screamed. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of pale, emaciated, warriors emerged from all sides, launching themselves indiscriminately at the throng of soldiers. Forcing himself out of his shock, Harry hit one of the creatures with a Stunning Spell, but the thing showed no signs of impediment. If anything, the attack only alerted it of Harry and Kevin's presence. Several of the zombie-like beings began lumbering toward the two wizards, but a man stepped between the boys and the oncoming horde. He was tall and well-built, with brown skin and silver hair.

Kevin gasped audibly, "Is… is he an Ishvalan, too?"

Hearing the boy's question, the man looked back at them over his shoulder. The red eyes that gleamed from under his brow confirmed Kevin's suspicions, but Harry was more drawn to the 'X'-shaped scar that covered his forehead. For once, Harry felt quite content about his own facial flaw; a lighting bolt was much easier to hide than… well… _that_. As the foremost monster reached arm's length, the man clamped his right hand around its face. Blue energy crackled from the point of contact before the zombie's head exploded, splattering thin, green ooze on everything. Without delay, the man charged into the wave of pale, undead warriors and wreaked havoc.

"Who _is_ that?" Kevin asked in awe.

"He goes by 'Scar'," explained Lieutenant Hawkeye.

"I can see why," Harry half-chuckled.

"He's been secretly working with us ever since Edward was here last. Whatever he said changed Scar's attitude toward us _enough_ for us to work together. After all, we both want change for the better to come from all of this bloodshed."

"Lieutenant!" called Colonel Mustang as he strode to her side. "How are you holding up?"

"This sector should be secured within the hour at most, sir."

"About time – you've been at it all night."

"Excuse me, Colonel," Harry asked. "Have you seen Ed recently?"

"No, why? Hasn't he come back yet?"

"I'm afraid not."

"That idiot!" Mustang groaned. "I told him… Stay here; I'll take care of it." And, calling to a handful of soldiers, the Colonel charged off in pursuit of his stubborn subordinate.

* * *

Having been unconscious on the way out of the sewers (and having teleported directly into them to begin with), Ed had no idea how to get to the Homunculus's lair, but the trail of chimera bones helped a lot. After wandering in the dark for many long minutes, he reached the large, stone double-doors. The sight sickeningly reminded him of the Portal of Truth, but he pushed the image aside as he forced the doors open. Inside was… nothing. The chamber looked deserted. Stepping inside, his eyes darted to every corner, expecting an ambush at any moment.

"…Ed?" asked a familiar voice – _Ling's_ voice. Ed spun around until he found the source of the call.

"Oh, hell…" The Xingese prince was pinned to a wall by four swords through the wrists and shoulders. Though the red glow had not left his eyes, that pleasant smile was unmistakably Ling's, not Greed's. "What happened to you?" Ed demanded, rushing to his friend's side and working to pull out the swords. "How'd you end up like this?"

"Well, a former friend of Greed's showed up and stirred all of his old memories. He kind of lost it, attacked the other Homunculi, so Wrath – Fuhrer Bradley – stuck him here so his head could cool off. In the end, though, their Father said taking a Homunculus they couldn't rely on wasn't worth the trouble, so they left him… left _me_ here. I had a long talk with Greed after that, and I guess you could say we've come to an understanding of sorts. In any case, he let me have control of my body." As he finished his story, Ed pried the last sword free of the stone. Ling's wounds immediately healed in typical Homunculus fashion, and the prince got to his feet, stretching gratefully. "Ah, that's much better! Thanks a lot, Ed!"

"Don't mention it," the small blonde replied. "Say, if you and Greed aren't with the Homunculi anymore, does that mean you'd be willing to give me a hand?"

Ling seemed to have a momentary inner debate with the Homunculus inside him. "Sure!" he said at last. "What with?"

"Well, at the moment, I'm trying to find where they all went – the Homunculi, that is."

"Let me think… if I recall, it was someplace called Ing-Gland."

"It's pronounced England," Ed corrected before his expression became somber once more. "Dammit. So, they left just like that?"

"Not quite," said the deep, resonating voice of King Bradley. Before Ed could even move, he felt the cold edge of a blade touch his throat.

"Wrath!" Ling cried. "Leave him alone! This has nothing to do with him!"

"You're quite mistaken, Greed," replied the Fuhrer, walking into Ed's view while continuing to train his sword-tip on Ed's neck. "One wrong move, and I'll slit his throat. Now, back away."

The sincerity of his tone forced Ling to comply, and even Ed felt seriously threatened. "H… hey," he stammered, "I thought… I thought your Father didn't want you to kill me."

Wrath narrowed his human eye at the young alchemist. "That's true, but it doesn't mean he couldn't accept your loss if that's what it comes to."

Ed deftly swatted the sword away with his right hand and drew his wand with his left, darting out of Bradley's immediate reach. "Ling! Go rendezvous with Colonel Mustang! I'm sure he could use your help up-top."

"And leave you with _him_?" Ling objected. "Are you insane? I'm not gonna-"

"_Depulso_," said Ed, pointing his wand at Ling and sending the prince flying out of the room down the dark passageway.

"Oh? Was that really necessary?" Bradley mused, mustering a smile.

"I had a feeling you wanted to make this one-on-one, and – to be honest – I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And why is that? Because we're so much alike?"

Ed paused, stunned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Both of us are humans who've entered Father's service. The only difference is that you haven't given him your full allegiance yet."

"There won't be a 'yet'!"

Wrath laughed. "Are you sure about that, Fullmetal Alchemist? Even for the right price?"

"I don't make a habit of placing prices on human lives."

Wrath chuckled. "Greed would say, 'everyone wants something they don't have,' but I think my version is more accurate." He rushed past Ed so quickly that the boy didn't realize blade had met flesh until he felt blood trickle down his chin from a new gash on his cheek. "All of you humans have something for which you'd do anything, give anything, and you're no exception, Edward Elric."

Bradley charged again, this time leaving a shallow wound on Ed's right side. The bastard was playing with him, but he was just too fast; Ed would have to time an attack during the Homunculus's monologue. "If Father offered you everything you'd ever wanted – the restoration of your brother's body, for example – can you honestly tell me you wouldn't be the tiniest bit tempted to give him whatever price he demanded in exchange?"

"Shut up already!" Ed roared. "I wouldn't make a deal like that! "

"Ah, _now_ I've made you angry. Good. Use that fury, boy. It's the only way you can ever measure up to me."

"I don't want to measure up to you! I don't want to be anything like you!"

"Too late for that, I'm afraid. You're on a collar and leash just like any of us. Look at Greed; even we Homunculi are bound to serve Father, or die. It's just that we find ways to enjoy it; you might as well follow suit."

"Shut up!" Ed shouted again.

"Sooner or later, he'll haul you off to obedience school like he would any other dog."

"SHUT UP!" The incantation was on his tongue before even thought caught up. "_Sectumsempra_!"

Something like a whip of wind slashed at Bradley, deeply cutting his sword arm and leaving a sizeable gash across his torso. To Ed's infuriation, the Fuhrer smiled at him. That mocking grimace set Ed's mind ablaze, and red overwhelmed his senses. He invoked the curse again and again, finally discarding his wand and transmuting his hand-blade. He didn't care about where the line was anymore; all that mattered was carving that smirk off of Bradley's face.

* * *

_Damn that stupid little brat! I should spank him!_ Roy inwardly cursed. His expression was so pissed that the few soldiers who followed him kept a safe distance just in case he should snap… literally. He reached an intersection of sewer lines and groaned in frustration.

"Damn, this place is confusing. Which way now?" The troops shrugged, just as ignorant in this matter as their leader. Just then, Roy heard a blood-curdling, enraged scream. _That voice, could that be…?_ He followed the sound to a large chamber, and that's where he found it. Even as a veteran of the Ishvalan War, he didn't think he'd seen anything quite so horrible.

Edward sat atop the bloodied, mangled mess of a body, hacking at it with all of his strength, yelling, cursing – screaming for all he was worth. The recipient of his attacks was barely recognizable as human, its limbs long since hewn from the main body, its internal organs cut open and oozing onto the ground to mix with the shallow pool of dirty blood beneath it. How it could even still be alive was a mystery. Only by seeing the remainder of the Amestrian uniform did Mustang discern its identity: King Bradley.

"Fullmetal!" Roy shouted, picking up the stick he recognized as Ed's wand and stowing it inside his jacket. "That's enough! Stand down!" Ed gave no indication of heeding him, completely consumed by rage. Shocking all of his troops, the Colonel approached the gory scene and grabbed Ed's crimson-stained right wrist from behind. "Enough," he repeated.

The boy tried to throw him off, but Mustang was determined. He looped his other arm around Ed's waist and forcibly dragged him away from the feebly breathing form of the Fuhrer. Ed fought for every inch, finally managing intelligible words. "NO! NO! DON'T STOP ME! I NEED TO KILL HIM! I HAVE TO! LET ME KILL HIM!"

"I can't let you do that," was Roy's pacifying reply. Looking to the troops he had brought along, he gave the order. "You men deal can with this. As soon as we're gone, put this monster out of its misery."

"Sir!" they all saluted in-sync.

Having taken care of that, the Colonel immediately headed for the exit of the chamber, half-carrying Ed with him. The blood-soaked boy was still yelling, begging to go back and kill Bradley.

"Just… a moment…" wheezed the Fuhrer. The sound of his voice seemed to silence Ed, and even Mustang paused. "You… you did well, boy. Remember… to enjoy… your servitude."

This pushed Ed past anything even remotely resembling composure. He screamed out of sheer misery and rage, flailing against Mustang, who took this as an obvious cue to leave. He had to get Ed away from that monster. It was slow going; striving to keep a grip on the young alchemist was like trying to hold onto a rabid animal. Even as they reached the main passage leading to the surface, the boy struggled against his strong, calm grasp. The sight of Ed in this state was a heavy blow, like a bullet to the chest. Just when he had thought the corruption of the country couldn't reach any deeper, the horrors of war had swallowed this child's innocence, making him something primal, less than human. It was sickening. If Ed had been a grown man, Roy might have slapped him, but he stayed his hand out of pity. Accepting that he wouldn't get much further with the boy's current state, the Colonel leaned his back against the nearest wall and slid down, forcing Ed to sit as well. Maintaining his firm grip around Ed's middle, he began speaking in a tone normally designated to the side of a sickbed.

"Hey, why don't you put this away?" he suggested, holding Ed's right arm with blade extended in clear view.

"…I…. I can't…." the boy choked between shallow breaths.

"Sure you can." He guided the automail hand toward its human partner until the palms touched. "Just like this, see?"

Already, his efforts were having a good effect. Ed's breathing was returning to a normal pace, his tense muscles relaxing, as if merely _being_ in Bradley's presence had been the main catalyst of his berserker behavior. The young alchemist finally retracted his weapon, only to stare in utter horror at his gore-covered hands. "I'm… I'm _not_ like Bradley," he said at last in a small, broken voice. "I'm not… not just that bearded bastard's dog. I'm _not_." And yet, each time he tried to convince himself, the more desperate he sounded. His words soon devolved into low mutterings, as if he was talking to himself… or someone only _he_ could hear.

Roy sighed. "Ed? I'm going to let go now. Don't make me regret it."

The boy gave a shaky nod, and Mustang pulled him to his feet. Even though the worst was over, Ed's grime-smeared face registered something _beyond_ trauma… more like self-loathing.

"Wipe that look off your face, Fullmetal," the Colonel said, reassuming his professional presence. "What's done is done; wallowing never did anyone any good."

Ed took a deep breath and forcibly rearranged his features. "Yes, sir." When Mustang motioned for the boy to proceed ahead of him, he complied without a word. As they scaled the stairs to street level, Ed suddenly seized up as if frozen.

"What is it?" Roy demanded while trying to measure his tone. "Why'd you stop?" No reply. Maneuvering around to Ed's front, he found the young alchemist completely void of expression, his eyes unfocused and his mouth ever-so-slightly open. "Hey, Fullmetal," he called, snapping his fingers in front of the small blonde. Not even a reflex, not so much as an eye-twitch. Then, as if in slow motion, the boy began to fall backward. Mustang grabbed Ed's forearm and pulled him back to a safe angle. "Hey, this isn't funny, Edward. Snap out of it." No good. He simply couldn't get through. So, left with little other choice, Roy slung the unresponsive child over his shoulder before finishing the climb. "I swear," he laughed in spite of himself, "one of these days, Fullmetal, you're gonna end up being more trouble than even _I_ can handle."

* * *

Ed looked down at the tattered and slashed body of Fuhrer King Bradley. Kicking aside the corpses of the Amestrian soldiers he'd just shot, he crouched down beside the dying Homunculus and snorted in disgust. "What were you thinking, letting the brat hack you to bits like this?" His voice was moderately deep with a cold bite. "Just because Father said you could rest in peace after cleaning things up here didn't mean you had to go and get yourself killed."

"You… probably wouldn't… understand."

"Try me."

"I wanted… to test the boy. Don't think I… didn't hear the whispers… the rumors of who... would succeed me."

Ed laughed mercilessly, brushing some of his long dark hair out of the way with a pale hand. "Damn you, Wrath. That's some nerve, acting on speculation like that. So, you wanted to see if he was worthy of inheriting your title. And?"

"He passed… with flying colors," rasped Bradley.

"Still, you're lucky I got here in time to salvage your Stone, or your whole plan would have backfired."

"I was… confident in… your timing."

"Well, rest assured. I'll deliver it safely to Father." With that, he plunged his hand into Wrath like a spear and yanked the Stone free. Instantly, the Homunculus's body stiffened and aged as Fuhrer Bradley finally died. Standing, Ed examined the gem and said, "Sleep well, old man. Who knows? Maybe the pipsqueak _can_ pick up your torch."

He glanced down where the blade of Bradley's sword lay angled in a way to cast his reflection back at him: a thin, sinewy body clad in black cloth, a pale face framed by long strands of hair such a dark shade of green that it could be mistaken for black, a cruel smile beneath slit-pupiled red eyes. Ed looked into that mirror… and saw Envy.

* * *

A/N: Confession: A handful of Ed's lines in the first scene are actually Harry's from the book. And yet, they still work! I guess they have enough in common…

I swear those boy-girl battle pairs are not romantically motivated (as if Ed thinks about those things when assigning people partners)! Those people just work well together.

Mannequin Zombies! You know you love it… Sorry, guys. Ideally, I would have loved to stretch out the Scar/Kevin interaction, but Kevin _is_ more of a minor character, and it just didn't fit in the flow when I tried.

Roy's POV! I am such a hopeless parental!Roy fan that I snuck some in here. RoyxEd fans - sorry, this is all you're going to get; I don't get into yaoi, only clean bromance.

EXPLANATION TIME! Just like Harry had that vision/dream where he was Nagini, Ed can see through the Homunculi. And, MAN, Bradley is one TUPH old man to hold out that long.


	15. Danger in the Forest

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: **HAPPY FMA DAY!** I literally dressed as Ed for my college classes today, just with a hoodie instead of the full-length coat (it's too hot here for that).

I AM SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER! Actually, those are my sentiments for basically the whole story, but this chapter has been solidly in my head for almost two months, so it's fun to finally get it down on paper. It gave me an excuse to watch Episode 41 of _Brotherhood_ obsessively (that should be a hint of what's to come).

I understand that a few people where confused by the last scene in the Chapter 14. Don't freak out: I did it on purpose.

Oh, BTW, I have a piece of art in my deviantART gallery (AngelG93) for the previous chapter. It might help clarify some visuals, i.e. give you an idea of JUST HOW MUCH BLOOD Ed was covered in…

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**december**: Yay! I'm so glad I was able to keep you on your toes. I'm afraid I can't give away what will happen to Ed, but those developments are only a few chapters away, so hang in there!

**TruthsApprentice**: Ikr? The thought just came to me and then I couldn't get rid of it. *now envisions Roy spanking Ed*

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Danger in the Forest**

When Ed woke in a cold sweat, he had never been so comforted by the sight of his automail. He wasn't Envy; it had only been a dream. As his other surroundings swam into focus, he heard several relieved voices sound off around him.

"Blimey!" half-squeaked Ron. "You were _so still_ for so long, we thought you were dead!"

"He had a steady pulse the whole time, Ron," sighed Hermione. "All the same, we were really worried."

Ed sat up slowly, realizing two things: one – he was back in the Shrieking Shack, two – he was clean. Luna seemed to pick up on this second thought and noted, "There was a_ lot_ of blood; it took four _Tergeo_ spells to get it all off."

"Luna, drop it," said Harry a little curtly. "You heard what Colonel Mustang said."

"Why?" Ed asked, and, for an instant, he was afraid that Envy's voice would come out instead of his own. "What _did_ he say?"

Harry let out a resigned sigh and handed Ed his wand. "He said we shouldn't bring up the issue of where all that blood came from."

Ed laughed half-heartedly. "Is he worried I'm going to have a relapse, or something?"

"So something _did_ happen?" Michael pressed despite Harry's warning. Ed was on his feet by now, trying to gauge how long he had been unconscious. Eventually, however, he did answer the question.

"I… went berserk, and… someone died because of it. Even though he was one of the Homunculi, that doesn't make what I did right. I let him push all of my buttons. I won't make that mistake again." Even _he_ was shocked by how calm he was, but he'd rather be _that_ than… how he'd acted at the time of the incident. "I don't remember half of it," he admitted, "and what I do… I wish I didn't. Does that answer satisfy you?"

"_More_ than enough," Harry said at once, clearly communicating that they need not linger on it any longer. Nevertheless, several of the others gave Ed wary looks, as if he was a bomb that might go off.

"So, what'd I miss?" the small blonde digressed. "What happened to Ling?"

"That Asian bloke with the long hair?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like him."

"I think Mustang sent him to meet up with Al and Mr. Ho," explained George.

"Oh, good. I'm glad."

After a brief silence, Kevin vaguely gestured at the group and pointed out, "Well, we all made it back safely, more or less."

"Right," Hermione agreed, averting Ed's gaze. "But it's really late. We need to get back to the castle."

Ed and Harry brought up the rear, which gave them a chance to talk in relative private.

"I'm only going to ask one thing," said the dark-haired boy. "Who _really_ killed him – you… or their leader through you?"

Ed smiled wearily. "Now that you mention it, I don't even know. At first, he was in my face all the time, but, ever since that day in Hogsmeade, I haven't consciously heard him. It's like, after scaring me out of my wits, he's trying to lull me into a false sense of security."

"Why 'consciously'?" Harry interjected.

"It's just a thought… or a fear, I guess, that he's sunk his hooks so deep in me that I can't tell the difference anymore."

"Well, _don't_ think like that. That's exactly the kind of thing he'd _want_ you to think – to doubt yourself."

Ed chuckled. "That sounds like something Al would say to me if he were here. Thanks, Harry. I'd probably be a wreck if it weren't for you and the others."

"No problem." They spent the rest of the walk back in silence, which drew Ed's thoughts to his… vision, for lack of a better term. He hadn't just _seen_ Envy take Bradley's Stone; he'd _been_ Envy. He shuddered instinctively at the idea, but thankfully, none of his friends noticed.

* * *

Even by the next evening, Ed's experience in Central was so painfully fresh in his mind that Snape quickly detected something was wrong. Their lessons had largely reverted back to plain Occlumency, since the Potions Master didn't deem it prudent to seek out another confrontation with the Homunculus until he was absolutely sure Ed could handle it. Because of this impasse, Ed found his attention wandering that night…

Shou Tucker's maniacal laughter. "We're the same. You're just like me."

Fuhrer Bradley's unsympathetic glare. "You're on a collar and leash just like any of us. Sooner or later, he'll haul you off to obedience school like he would any other dog."

Envy's smirk as he looked at his reflection, as if he knew full well who else was seeing out of those eyes.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The connection broke, and Ed stumbled back unsteadily. Snape eyed him with something resembling disappointment, but with concern hidden behind it. "Why are you so distracted? You had been doing well."

"S… sorry, sir."

The professor obviously found this answer unsatisfactory because he indicated the chair behind Ed and instructed, "Sit." When the small blonde did so, Snape pulled his own seat over and stationed himself across from the boy. "Those last few images… what happened?"

"It…" Ed struggled with the words, "It's not something I can easily talk about, sir."

"Then, _show_ me."

Not really left with the option to refuse, Ed permitted Snape access to his memories of the previous evening (while managing to keep the DA's existence hidden). When the two emerged from the sobering retrospection, an awkward silence stretched on. Then, Snape abruptly slapped Ed with so much force that it left him dizzy.

"How could a student of Ravenclaw be so stupid? What were you thinking, going back to your country?"

"I… I just wanted to help-"

"It seems Potter's savior-complex has rubbed off on you. You have to remember that your choices can affect both your world and this one."

"So I should have just left the Colonel to fend for himself?" The volume of Ed's voice increased sharply.

"This isn't just about _you_ and what _you_ want."

Ed stood and shouted, "Then maybe I should just give up on this whole thing! Maybe I don't even _care_ anymore!" As soon as the words had left his mouth, he regretted them. He slumped back into the chair and hung his head. "I… I apologize, sir. I shouldn't have let my temper get out of hand like that. It's just that… we're in a deadlock with the Homunculus right now, and we can't seem to _get_ anywhere. We're rowing against a current; all we can manage to do is balance our effort with the flow."

"All the same, he hasn't spoken to you recently, correct?"

Ed sighed. "No." But, he didn't _dare_ share with Snape the fear he'd confessed to Harry. "I'm just starting to think that the only way I'm going to get that bearded bastard out of my head is by wiping out the source."

"That may indeed be, but that's no excuse… for us to give up." Snape rose and declared, "We'll take a hiatus for a few weeks. Apply what you've learned, and see… how you fare. We'll know how to proceed from there."

"Right, sir," Ed nodded, his focus already starting to drift again. As he grasped the door handle, Snape added one last reminder.

"If anything changes for the worse, inform either me or the Headmaster _immediately_, understand?"

The small blonde's grip on the metal knob tightened. "Yes, sir."

When Ed reached the ground floor, he found Luna perched atop a bannister, staring off into space. Only when he was right beside her did she even acknowledge his presence. "Oh, hello, Ed. You look troubled."

The young alchemist hastily reconfigured his expression into something more pleasant. "I'm just tired is all. What are you doing?"

"I was trying to spot some Wrackspurts in the corner over there, but I'm not having much luck."

_Probably because they don't exist_, Ed mused. Nevertheless, he hopped up beside Luna and followed her gaze. "Well, what do these Wrackspurts look like?"

"Sort of like small bugs, from what I've been told," she explained. "They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy."

"Oh…" To be honest, that was exactly how Ed's brain felt at the moment.

"Have you already been infested?" asked Luna interestedly, brushing Ed's bangs back from his face so she could have a better view into his ear.

"I dunno. Maybe…" It was strange how Ed wasn't the least bit embarrassed by Luna anymore. Sure, when she had stroked his hair on the train, he'd been creeped out, but that was just the way Luna was. Ed had grown accustomed to it, even to the point where it _comforted_ him. He sent her a good-natured smile, and she returned it.

"Don't worry," she said serenely. "I don't think you're going to lose your mind, or anything." Ed had to double-take. Was she talking about Wrackspurts… or the Homunculus? Either way, her words warmed him.

"Good to know," he laughed softly. "Thanks for the diagnosis, Dr. Lovegood." Despite his light-hearted tone, Luna saw through his pretense almost immediately. She placed her hand on top of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You're not a monster, you know."

"Huh? Where's _this_ coming from?"

"In Hogsmeade that day, you said you were a monster, and you begged us to kill you."

"Oh..." Had he really admitted that aloud? He hadn't been lucid enough at the time to distinguish between thoughts and words.

"But, that's not right," Luna continued. "The monster here is that Homunculus, not you. Never you. So, please don't say things like 'I'm a monster,' or 'I want to die.' We'd all be very sad if you died, you know."

"Even if keeping me alive only made things worse here? I don't want to bring you guys any more trouble." Almost before he finished his sentence, Luna raised her other hand and gently bopped him on the forehead, like an indirect facepalm.

"No one's perfect. Everyone brings trouble at some time or other, so don't beat yourself up about it. That only makes us worry even more about you."

"Besides," she added, "you've brought so much more joy to our lives than you have trouble, and that's what's important." She leaned over and, taking Ed completely by surprise, kissed him on the cheek, just above his jaw.

It really was baffling how kisses could be so different from one another. Winry's had been hopeful and teasing, Lust's cruel and seductive, but Luna's was tender and innocent. Even though Ed was pretty sure neither he nor Luna had any romantic attachment to each other, he felt _close_ to her nonetheless. If he had ever had a sister, Ed would have wanted her to be like Luna, oddities and all.

* * *

October faded into November, and still Ed's lessons with Snape had not resumed. Since he was managing well enough, he didn't want to bother the Potions Master by bringing it up unnecessarily. Thankfully, this turn of events freed him up completely for DA meetings. Even though he was pretty sure at least half of the instruction he gave the wizards went in one ear and out the other, it at least gave him something to do, something to look forward to.

Of course, a DA convening would always mean a late night, and that would, in turn, almost always mean an unsettling dream. Ed had experienced several more episodes of seeing through Envy, but after waking, he could never remember what had happened… which might have been a blessing in disguise. Since the visions were brief and minor, Ed pushed them out of his mind.

On the morning of Gryffindor's Quidditch match against Slytherin – in which Ed had little to no interest – an owl brought him a brief letter from Mustang and a photograph.

_Fullmetal,_

_Things have cooled down on this end, but something disconcerting has come to my attention. Some time before the chaos started, the Homunculi smuggled this man out of prison. His name is Solf J. Kimblee, code-named The Crimson Alchemist. I actually fought alongside him in the War, but he went psycho and killed some high-ranking officers. I don't even want to imagine the kind of havoc he could unleash under the Homunculi's employ. Just keep your eyes and ears open, okay?_

_Mustang _

Finishing the note, the young alchemist examined the mug shot. Kimblee was pale, with a thin face, long black hair, and a smile that sent shivers down Ed's spine. If not for the man's blue, albeit crazed eyes, Ed could have easily mistaken him for a Homunculus.

"Yeah," he muttered, pretending to talk to Mustang, "I'll keep an eye out. Who could ever forget a face like _that_?"

Since Harry, Ron, Fred, and George would all be playing in the match, Ed felt it was only right that he go support them by watching. Even so, he tuned out most of what went on, choosing instead to count the tufts of fur on Luna's ridiculously exotic, lion-headed hat. However, when the Slytherins took up a catcalling ditty about how terrible of a keeper Ron was, Ed nearly leapt out of the stands so he could launch himself at Malfoy's broom and give the slimy git a piece of his mind. Thankfully, his Ravenclaw comrades kept him in his seat.

"They're just trying to rile everyone up," Michael pointed out. "The best thing is to ignore it."

"Tell that to Ron! He looks like he's about to pass out from embarrassment! Lemme go!"

"Ed, there's nothing you can do about it right now," insisted Kevin.

"Believe me, Ed," said Terry, "I'm tempted ta whale on 'im, too."

"And here I thought you were Mr. Public Relations," scoffed Anthony.

"That donna mean I'll tolerate Malfoy and his lot running their mouths," retorted the Scot.

As the game drew to a close, Ed's gaze drifted across the crowd on the opposite side of the pitch. Hidden amongst the faces of cheering and jeering students was a man… a man whose face Ed had just seen that morning. That white fedora couldn't hide his taunting smile, and once he lifted the brim, the two alchemists locked eyes.

"Kimblee," Ed growled, low enough that no one around him would hear. As if reading his lips, the man tipped his hat to the small blonde before turning to leave the stands. Ed's eyes followed him until he descended out of sight, and then he bolted for the stairs. If that psychopath was _anything_ like what Mustang had described, there was no way in hell he was going to let him get away that easily. When his feet finally hit turf, he made a quick visual sweep of the area. No Kimblee. "Dammit! Where did he go?"

"Oh, where you looking for me?" The voice momentarily reminded him of Shou Tucker; it had the same tinge of insanity. Ed whirled around just in time to see Kimblee emerge from the shadows of the stands' framework. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, correct? And I'm pretty sure you already know who I am."

"The Crimson Alchemist," Ed confirmed.

"So Mustang _did_ tell you about me? I'm flattered."

"Yeah, he told me. He said you're working for the Homunculi now."

"Well, that _would_ be his biggest concern, now wouldn't it?"

"Quit beating around the bush, Kimblee! Why are you here? How the hell did you even get here?"

"We walked. And don't worry; we're only here for a little reconnaissance."

Ed blinked as he processed this information. "W… we?"

"Oh, didn't I mention that? I most assuredly didn't come alone."

"Who else is here? Where are they?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis."

"Well, I _need to know_ so I can kick their asses!"

Kimble snorted derisively, turned, and proceeded away from the pitch toward the Forbidden Forest.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Ed called after him. "Do you honestly think I'm just gonna let you walk away?"

"You will if you want to stay alive. Seriously, you don't want to follow me, Elric."

_Oh, I'm following you; I'm just smart enough to do it covertly._

Just as Kimblee's white silhouette disappeared under the dark canopy of trees, Ed heard a huge commotion inside the stadium. The distraction was enough to pull his eyes away from the spot where Kimblee had entered the Forest. Before he could decide whether or not to return to his seat, however, George and Harry marched out of the pitch with livid faces.

"Uh… what happened to _you_ two?" They stormed past without a word, leaving a very confused Ed behind them. "What the hell was _that_ about?"

The other students soon poured out of the stadium, and, eventually, Ed reunited with his friends. Once they had briefly explained how Harry and George had beat up Malfoy, Kevin asked, "So, why'd you leave the match early?"

For a few moments, Ed considered not telling them. Kimblee was a known murderer, after all – maybe it was something best handled alone. _No_, he chided himself. _They've already been in plenty of danger before; this'll be no different_. While he debated, Anthony and Terry wandered off to join the celebrations over Gryffindor's victory, and Fred, Ron, and Hermione went up to the school to find out how much trouble Harry and George had gotten into because of their actions. That left Ginny, Luna, Neville, Kevin, and Michael to hear about Kimblee.

"So, what should we do?" Neville piped up, his braver nature awakening. "Are we gonna go after him, then?"

"We have to," Ginny agreed, drawing her wand.

Ed nodded, but held up his hands in supplication. "Just let me take point. This guy's an alchemist, after all."

"Fair enough," Michael agreed.

The small blonde immediately took off, calling back that the others could just catch up to him in their own good time. They may have shouted something back, but Ed wasn't listening. His entire mind was now focused on running Kimblee to ground. He passed the tree line, racing down the slope into the bowels of the Forbidden Forest. When Ed didn't quickly pick up a trace of Kimblee, he began to wonder if he'd waited too long, if the bastard had already run off with whichever Homunculi had accompanied him. After tearing through bushes, vines, and thin branches for longer than he could easily calibrate, Ed reached a clearing… and his target. Ed could see two hulking figures in the shadows behind the white-clad alchemist, and one of the outlines he recognized as Gluttony.

"Well, it seems you really are too stubborn to listen to reason," Kimblee laughed, before turning to the unknown shape. "Sloth, you should probably go back and report to the boss, since you're the fastest."

The mammoth figure stepped into the filtered light and mumbled, "That sounds like… a lot of work. What a pain."

Kimblee rolled his eyes as his tone became more authoritative. "Now, Sloth, you have to think about it logically. If you do a good job, Pride might let you take a nice long nap. Wouldn't that be worth the hard work?"

Sloth moaned, "Thinking… is a pain."

"Dammit, you have got to be the stupidest Homunculus I've ever worked with. Now, get going!"

"Ooooooookaaaaay." After a sudden and intense gust of air pressure, Sloth was gone.

Kimblee dropped his forehead into his hand with a smack. "And, here I thought Gluttony was the bottom of the intellectual food chain."

"Food?" Gluttony chimed in, catching onto the word like a fisherman would a large trout. "Where? Can I eat it? I smell the Fullmetal Alchemist boy – can I eat _him_?"

"Of course not," Kimblee groaned, whirling on the tubby Homunculus. "He's one of your important human sacrifices. The boss would be _furious_ if you ate him."

"He already did, once," Ed cut in, sick of being ignored, "but I guess I just didn't stay down very well."

"Oh, dear me," Kimblee grinned, acting surprised, "I almost forgot you were here, what with you being so _small_."

Ed felt his face grow hot. "DAMN YOU, KIMBLEE! I'M NOT A MEASLY PIPSQUEAK THAT CAN BE FORGOTTEN AS EASILY AS A CRUMB ON THE FLOOR!"

His yell acted as a beacon for his trailing companions. They entered the clearing with wands drawn, Ginny coming alongside Ed and immediately asking: "Any reservations, or can we just start blasting them?"

"Go for it," was the simple reply. In unison, the five wizards sent various hexes in the direction of Kimblee and Gluttony. The Crimson Alchemist cleverly dodged the attacks and danced back under the cover of the trees.

"Bastard!" Ed roared. "Get back here!" Before starting after the maniac, he told the others, "I'm sure you guys can handle Gluttony. Just keep on him hard so he can't retaliate, and you'll wear his Stone down into nothing."

"Got it!" Neville confirmed.

"Go after Kimblee, and we'll catch up as soon as we're done here!" called Michael.

Nodding, Ed turned and plunged once against into the thick vegetation. Kimblee was fast – Ed had to admit that – but he was rather quick himself, probably more so. He pursued the fleeing alchemist for several minutes, slowly gaining on his enemy. Suddenly, an image flashed in the back of Ed's mind: shadows engulfing Gluttony, slicing the Homunculus in half and devouring the remains. The plaintive scream he heard from behind him told him that this vision was of a current event. Not devoting any more brainpower to the matter, Ed raced on, hurdling fallen logs and ducking under low-hanging branches.

"KIMBLEE!" he yelled. He was tempted to draw his wand, but something stopped him. Maybe it was his own pride, but he wanted to face that psycho as one alchemist to another. This introspection distracted Ed just long enough that he barely had time to register that Kimblee had stopped. Ed's boots scuffed on the loose earth as he halted abruptly, raising small clouds of dust.

"You know," Kimblee sighed as he turned toward the small blonde. "We really don't need to do this. Fight, I mean. After all, we're supposed to be on the same side."

"Like hell we are!"

"Oh? I was under the impression my noble employers had put your name at the top of their list of candidates."

"Shut up! I don't care what they told you; I sure as hell didn't volunteer to be put on any damn list of theirs!"

"Is that so? Well, that's too bad. I was hoping you'd have enough sense to stay out of the fire, but you've gone and stuck your hand right in it. Now, I have no choice but to burn you; that's just the way my sense of justice works." Kimblee pulled off his white gloves and showed Ed a pair of transmutation circles, one on the palm of each hand. "Ready for some fireworks, Elric?"

"You bet!" Transmuting his hand-blade, Ed charged toward the Crimson Alchemist and found, to his satisfaction, that he was indeed more agile than his opponent. Kimblee realized it too, but he did his best not to let his surprise show. He clapped his hands and moved to grab Ed, but the small blonde was waiting for that. "Too slow!" With one deft movement, Ed left a gash across his enemy's right hand, slicing directly through the transmutation circle. _He can't transmute now. Take that, bastard!_ "And now I've-"

"And now you've what?" Kimblee countered. "You think you've won? So, you're determined not to kill. How admirable of you. You do realize the advantage it gives your opponent, though, now don't you? Instead of finishing _me_ off, you've given me a second chance to kill _you_." He opened his mouth to reveal a red crystal clamped between his teeth. A Philosopher's Stone – the sight nearly made Ed's heart skip a beat. At that moment, Luna came into view, and the Crimson Alchemist grinned devilishly. "That sense of mercy is about to get you in a _lot_ of trouble." And he dropped the Stone into the palm of his undamaged hand.

There was no time for magic, barely even any time for thought. Ed bolted toward Luna, pulled her to the ground, and shielded her body with his own. When the explosion went off, the force of it hit him like a solid wall, pounding on his eardrums. Splinters of wood flew in all directions as the surrounding trees shattered. Clouds of sawdust and floating dirt stung his eyes as he tried to survey the aftermath, but all he could make out from his low angle was a white form stepping over the wreckage.

"Kimblee…" That psycho was going to pay for this. First, though, Ed looked down at Luna, who seemed unhurt. "Are you okay?" he checked.

"I… I think so, thanks to you."

As Kimblee disappeared over the crest of a hill, Ed removed his arm from around Luna and began pushing himself off of the ground. "Dammit. I can't let Kimblee get away." Something warm and wet clung to his shirt. Puzzled by this, Ed glanced at the ground and saw red staining the undergrowth. _I'm… bleeding?_ As if in response, more of the sticky liquid dribbled from his mouth. Luna, who had scooted out from underneath Ed, went wide-eyed as she turned toward him. Whatever she was seeing seemed too horrible for words, and, finally, Ed gathered the courage to look.

A length of wood measuring a little over a yard was sticking out of his back on the lower left side. The other end of the rudimentary javelin protruded in front, skewering him completely. _You're kidding! No!_ Forcing down his swelling panic, Ed clumsily tried to get to his feet, but the effort only caused more blood to pour from the wound. He collapsed back onto the carpet of moss as shock seized control of his limbs.

"Ed!" Luna screamed. She circled to his left side so that she could see his face, knelt, and raised his head just off the ground. "Ed! Just hang on!"

It was no good; ringing filled his ears, and his vision blurred like a camera lens wrenched out of focus. With his opaque senses, he heard Luna say she was going for help and tell him not to move as she shifted out of sight. _Like I'm going to try going anywhere in this state._

He didn't know how long he waited until the sound of footsteps reach his muddled ears. He squinted, trying to see who was there, and saw a pair of thin legs in calf-length socks, loafers, and knee-length shorts.

"Well, that's ironic. Kimblee made such a fuss about not letting Gluttony eat you, and yet he didn't hesitate to deal you a mortal wound himself. What a hypocrite; I may have to punish him." The voice was a child's, but it had a ring of cruelty and self-importance that didn't fit at all with the pitch. Moreover, it had a strange kind of echo, like whispers of other voices following the first's lead. Lazily, Ed looked up; it was a boy with black hair and deep purple eyes.

"W… who are you?" Ed coughed as more blood came up his throat.

"Oh, do excuse me for not introducing myself. My name is Pride."

"A… a Homunculus?"

"That is correct – the first Homunculus, to be exact… after Father, of course. Now, the question at hand is, what am I going to do about you? You're such a troublesome human sacrifice, Edward Elric, always getting yourself injured. It's quite pathetic, to be honest."

_Is this brat going to do something, or just stand there while I die?_ Ed thought bitterly.

"Well, of course I'm not just going to let you die," smiled Pride, reading Ed's expression. "In fact… yes, I think what I have planned is for the best, really." The darkness around the boy thickened, hardening into moving shadows, black hands that resembled those of the Portal with alarming accuracy. The ethereal limbs extended toward him, entwining around the wooden spike on both ends and pulling in opposite directions. Ed cried out sharply before another black hand covered his mouth. "Quiet, little alchemist," Pride ordered. "This will be over soon enough."

He could hear the wood splintering, feel it recoiling inside his body and surely causing more damage. When the rough javelin finally split in two, blood rushed out through the exit wounds, but Pride moved again with lightning speed. His shadows united so that they almost appeared liquid, coating Ed's torso like a thick bandage.

"As I said before, you're troublesome," Pride explained in response to a gagged Ed's astounded expression. "The best thing is to place you somewhere under my constant watch until Father has need of you, and it just so happens that I have such a place. You see, little alchemist, since coming to the Wizarding World, each of us Homunculi has grown more powerful. I won't bother trying to explain the logistics to you now, but I can give you an example. Gluttony gained more control over the in-between dimension you and that Xingese prince got trapped in, allowing him to use it as a method of transportation not unlike Apparition. That is how we got past the magical defenses around this school. Because I was forced to absorb Gluttony into myself before his Stone and talents were completely destroyed, that ability now belongs to me. So, I think I know just where to put you."

A wide-eyed Ed watched in mounting terror as Pride's shadows opened just the way Gluttony's stomach had the night he and Ling had been swallowed. Instead of being sucked in at once, however, the darkness dragged him toward the gateway. An instant before it pulled him beyond the threshold, a bright light hit the opening, dispelling the shadows in a flash. Ed looked over his shoulder to see his friends standing at the top of a nearby ridge, wands pointed at the Homunculus.

"Get away from him!" Ginny thundered, her eyes just as flaming as her red hair.

Pride made to grab Ed again, but this time Neville sent a _Lumos_ Charm to intervene. After another unsuccessful attempt, the small Homunculus grit his teeth in annoyance.

"You want me to leave him be so badly? Fine. If he dies, it's on your heads, not mine." And, with that, the portal he had constructed to use on Ed rotated toward its maker and engulfed him before vanishing altogether.

"Where'd he go?" Kevin asked.

"Never mind that!" Luna choked, her voice unusually strained and serious. She and the others circled around Ed, but hesitated to touch him when they saw his condition. Without Pride's shadows holding in the blood, a pool was quickly gathering under the small blonde. Ed was trying to stem the flow in front, but that only redirected it out his back with additional force. He felt cold all over, and his hands trembled violently as he futilely kept pressure on the wound.

"We've got to get him to Madam Pomfrey immediately," assessed Michael. "If we don't…"

"But, how are we supposed to move him without making things worse?" asked Neville.

Ginny said nothing, but sat by Ed's side and ripped off several long strips from the bottom of his shirt, doing her best to bind the injury. Despite her efforts, blood quickly saturated and seeped through the cloth.

"We'll just have to carry him as quickly as possible," she declared at last. "Neville, Michael, can you handle him between the two of you?"

"I think so," Neville guessed, sharing a glance with Michael. Working in tandem, the boys lifted a rapidly paling Ed. As they moved toward the edge of the forest, Luna kept hold of his left hand. Even though he could barely see anything through the haze that was swallowing his vision, Ed could almost _feel_ how worried she was. Her words from before drifted back to him: "We'd all be very sad if you died, you know."

_I'm… I'm not going to die. I can't die, not while Al's stuck in that armor. I can't, so I won't._

But, in his gut, he knew that no matter how determined he was to stay alive, his body could only do so much. After all, life only flowed in one direction.

* * *

Harry's bad mood over being banned from Quidditch thanks to Umbridge had only slightly improved when Ron and Hermione had told him that, on their way to the castle, they had seen smoke coming from the chimney of Hagrid's cabin. The three Gryffindors had immediately gone to visit their dear friend, and they now stood outside his front door. Harry knocked anxiously, but Hagrid took his time answering.

While they waited, Hermione glanced toward the Forbidden Forest and gasped. "Is… is that Ginny?"

"Yeah, it is," Ron confirmed. "Merlin's beard, why is she covered in blood?"

The youngest Weasley noticed the trio and bolted straight for them. Before she could explain her appearance, however, Hagrid finally opened the door. He was in a beaten-up state himself, but Harry didn't have time to ask why before Ginny cried, "Oh, my God! We're saved!"

"Wha's that?" said Hagrid, utterly confused by her outcry.

"Hagrid, we need your help! Ed's dying!"

" 'oo?" asked the gamekeeper.

"What?" demanded Ron and Hermione in unison.

"_Dying_?" Harry echoed.

"Please, we've got to get him to the Hospital Wing now, or he's going to bleed to death!" Ginny was usually so tough, but Harry could see tears streaming down her grimy face.

Hagrid, finally understanding the gravity of the situation, thumped down his front steps and told Ginny, "Lead the way."

* * *

He was losing the fight. Blood, consciousness, life – they were all draining out of him uncontrollably. Having long since lost feeling in his legs, Ed could only faintly detect the warmth of Luna's hand in his. Suddenly, a deep voice reached his half-functioning ears.

"Out o' the way; I'll take 'im. Blimey, 'e's a tiny littl' thing."

Enormous, strong hands scooped him up, but Ed didn't have the energy to open his eyes and see who was now carrying him. The man's long strides soon clattered against the stone floor of the castle. _Keep fighting_, Ed told himself. _It can't be long now; just hang on. They're counting on you… Al's counting on you…_

"Madam Pomfrey," called the man, "we have an emergency!"

Ed didn't have to see the nurse's face to know she must be horrified to encounter a case this severe. Even so, her voice was steady. "Set him down there, Hagrid." The man laid him on a soft mattress with surprising tenderness for someone his size. As Madam Pomfrey removed the makeshift bandage, Ed heard her take in a sharp breath. She lightly touched the area, and he winced against the pain.

"Hagrid," the nurse instructed, "I need you to fetch Severus; I will require one of the more potent blood-replenishing potions in his stock."

"Right away," Hagrid complied. Almost immediately after the large man had left, the sound many footsteps told Ed that his friends had finally caught up.

"You can save him, right, Madam Pomfrey?" Kevin asked at once, his small voice cracking from fear.

"I'm doing everything I can," replied the witch. "One of you boys, help me turn him on his side. I can only close the wound after cleaning it."

Having been rolled onto his right shoulder, Ed found he was having trouble breathing. _My heart and lungs must finally be starting to feel the strain_, he guessed. A stabbing pain came from his back as Madam Pomfrey systematically removed the splinters Pride had left behind in the mess of damaged muscles and organs. It was too much. He had reached his limit. _Al… I'm sorry_.

* * *

Harry chewed on his lip while he watched Madam Pomfrey work. She had finished extracting the foreign objects from the wound and was now dabbing a potion onto the area. That was all well and good, but what worried Harry was that Ed had stopped reacting to the nurse's efforts. Only the shallow rising and falling of his chest told Harry he was still with them at all. He'd never been in this kind of situation. With magic, with something like the Killing Curse, it was over in an instant, an unmistakable and absolute loss… but here, now, the _uncertainty_ of whether Ed was going to live or die seemed much more painful.

He was distracted from these morbid thoughts by Hermione. She approached the bed and, with a wave of her wand, returned the short blade at the end of Ed's right arm to its original form.

"Just so it won't be in the way," she said to no one in particular. "It's a simple Transfiguration spell, really…" Her lip trembled, and Ron came alongside her, placing his arm around her shoulders.

When at last Madam Pomfrey laid aside the potion, she used a kind of Healing Charm to stitch the wound closed. She then purified the blood-soaked sheets with a Cleaning Spell and looked to the cluster of students. "When this is over, I will have a great deal of questions for you."

Harry gulped, not at all looking forward to that prospect. Just then, the doors of the Hospital Wing burst open, and Snape crossed to the spot in a handful of strides. "Back away," he commanded, and no one challenged him. Harry thought he looked especially like a bat as he swept past in his billowing black robes, alighting at Ed's side.

"I've done all I can for now, Severus," Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily. Snape nodded, and Harry could see genuine concern in his eyes. For some unfathomably uncharacteristic reason, the cold-hearted professor actually cared about the young alchemist. Had the two really formed such a strong bond? Even more alarming to Harry was his own feeling of… _jealousy_. He didn't have a mentor like that. Sirius was stuck in Grimmauld Place, Lupin was off doing work for the Order, and Dumbledore… well, the headmaster had made it pretty clear that he had no intention of seeing Harry anytime soon. _Quit feeling sorry for yourself already_, Harry rebuked himself. _Priorities, Harry – you're being selfish._

After feeling the small blonde's faint heartbeat, Snape whipped out his wand and pointed it at Ed's chest. "_Rennervate_."

For one dreadful moment, nothing happened. Then, Ed's eyes flew open as he gasped painfully. Harry found each breath agonizing to listen to as Snape pulled the young alchemist up into a sitting position. Already the spell was wearing off; Ed simply didn't have the strength to remain conscious for long.

"Drink this," the Potions Master instructed, holding a vial up to Ed's mouth. Once the contents had been drained, Snape laid the pale boy back on the hospital bed. "It's up to him now," he said simply. As he turned to leave, Ed suddenly grabbed the professor by the wrist. The two made eye contact for several long seconds, and then Snape nodded as if he understood something.

"What was _that_ about?" Ron demanded as soon as Snape had disappeared down the corridor.

Ed coughed. "…I… I had to tell him… about Kimblee… and the-"

"Alright, don't strain yourself," Hermione shushed.

The small blonde smiled feebly. "Heh, you guys… look awful."

"Speak for yourself," Harry managed. He knew Ed was trying to lighten the mood, to cheer them up, but it wasn't easy, for them or him.

Ed looked at each of them in turn, leaving a teary-eyed Luna for last. "Hey," he whispered, gently squeezing her fingers with his automail hand. "I'm gonna be fine, okay? I survived losing an arm and leg in one night; this… this is nothing."

She knew he was lying for her sake, but she mustered a smile nonetheless. Seeing that seemed to comfort Ed as the Reviving Spell's effects finally dissipated, pulling him back down into the darkness.

"All right," Madam Pomfrey interjected firmly, "I must ask all of you to leave now. Mr. Elric needs rest in order to recover. Go on." She shooed them toward the door, but pulled Harry aside. "Mr. Potter, what can you tell me about this whole matter?"

Harry stammered unintelligibly for a few moments; after all, he had only been given a brief account of the ordeal from Ginny. On top of that, he didn't know if the nurse could be trusted with the whole truth. "I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey. I wasn't at the scene, so I don't know much. Apparently, an escaped criminal was hiding in the Forest and attacked him." Praying that she would believe his dumbed-down version, Harry asked, "Is he really going to be okay?"

"As Professor Snape said, it's up to him now. If he has the will to live, then we can hope for a full recovery."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at his small friend. "We shouldn't have anything to worry about, then. If they gave out O.W.L. grades for 'will to live,' Ed would easily score an 'Outstanding.'"

* * *

A/N: Ed and Harry's bromance bonding is such fun to write! As is Ed and Luna's platonic, yet adorable connection.

KI-MU-BU-RII-SAN! Best sadistic FMA character EVUH! 'Nuff said...

Minor plot alteration: I made Hagrid return to Hogwarts a few hours earlier so I could use him as a piece on my literary chessboard. Also, I gave Kimblee only one Stone because it just made things simpler.

You might be thinking, "Why didn't they just conjure a stretcher for Ed or something?" One – that wouldn't have been as dramatic. Two – that might be more advanced magic, I don't know. Three – it's not like they're trained professionals who know how to act levelheaded in a panic-inducing situation like that.

Hagrid saying " 'oo?" is my attempt to make "Who?" sound more like his dialect.

Emo Harry has so many feels… Dealing with some *snigger* **envy** there, Harry? XD


	16. Enemies United

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: It's **so close** now, the turning point of EVERYTHING (well, the second turning point, actually). Next… chapter… can't… contain… the feels… *explodes*

I apologize if this chapter feels slow and/or ambiguous. When I write the next chapter, it should clear up everything. I'm on a roll, so expect the next installment **soon**!

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Guest**: Kimblee or Pride probably just intimidated the centaurs away from the area or something (honest answer: I didn't even think of that XD). Yay, October 3 FTW! Favorite holiday EVUH!

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**Enemies United**

When Harry finally left the Hospital Wing, Hagrid was waiting in the Great Hall.

" 'Ow is 'e?" asked the gamekeeper.

"Madam Pomfrey thinks he'll pull through, and so do I."

"Inn't… inn't 'e Van 'Ohenheim's littl' boy?"

Harry was sure Ed wouldn't appreciate being called little, but – then again – next to Hagrid, everyone was small. "Yeah, that's right."

"Wonderful man, 'Ohenheim – right up there with Dumbledore. 'Im and yer mum and dad got along real well. 'S no surprise you and Ed've become friends, too."

"I guess so," Harry chuckled. Then Hagrid's torn-up face brought another question to mind. "Hagrid, what happened to you? Where've you been?"

The gamekeeper raised a finger to his lips. "Come down to my 'ut later, and I'll tell ya then."

* * *

Days passed, then a week, then two, and still Ed had not woken up. Harry visited his friend whenever he could, but the small blonde never made any more movement than breathing.

"Come on, Ed," he would say. "Everyone's waiting for you. Where's that fighting spirit gone off to?"

Madam Pomfrey had no explanation for this phenomenon. She said that the injury was slowly, but surely, mending, and that, other than an occasional fever, nothing should be keeping him from stirring. And yet, there he lay, a step away from lifeless.

"If it's the bloody wound that's doing it, why doesn't she just heal it all the way?" Ron demanded one afternoon that he and Hermione joined Harry in his vigil.

"Because," Hermione countered, "Madam Pomfrey is a nurse, not a miracle worker. That injury was full of dirt and plants and who knows what. She'd rather take this cautiously so she can catch an infection in the early stages. She's following the Muggle principle of 'haste makes waste.'"

"Well, Ed's _wast_ing away," said Ron, indicating how Ed had definitely lost weight during his stay in the infirmary. "Just look at him; I mean, I thought he was small before…"

"He'll be fine," whispered Luna, catching everyone's attention. Even more so than Harry, Luna had stayed by Ed's side almost constantly – Ginny sometimes had to remind her to go to her classes. She smiled sadly, repeating the words Ed had said to her before he'd slipped into this coma. "He'll be fine. He'll be fine."

Hermione wrapped a gentle arm around Luna as the blonde girl began to tremble with quiet sobs. Harry could understand what she was going through: survivor's guilt. Ed had gotten hurt protecting her, and now Luna felt responsible for his condition. "It's not your fault," he said at last.

"But, we let him go ahead of everyone. If we'd stayed together…"

"You can't know what would or wouldn't have happened," Harry cut in. "Ed would tell you not to linger on the past, only move forward."

Luna nodded, trying to regain her usual happy demeanor.

"There's nothing any of us can do," Harry continued, "except wait for him to come out of it."

That was a lie, of course. There was one thing Harry could do: he wrote to Lupin, knowing his former teacher would make sure the news reached Hohenheim. It wasn't a long or complex letter, but it still took Harry a whole afternoon to find the right words.

_Dear Lupin,_

_Listen, I need you to pass this message on to Hohenheim. Ed's been seriously injured. An alchemist named Kimblee attacked him in the Forest, and some Homunculi were involved, too, but I have a feeling Snape's already spread that bit around headquarters. Even though the wound itself is healing, Ed's been in a coma for almost a month now, and we can't figure out why. I'm really worried about him, and since no one else seems to have thought to let his dad know what's going on, I figured I might as well bring it up. Please tell him as soon as you can; I'm sure he'd want to know._

_Harry_

He knew it was a letter full of dangerous phrases. If Umbridge were to snoop through his mail like she had done several times already, he was in big trouble. At least, by using one of the school owls, it wasn't distinguishable as Harry watched the bird soar into the snow-bearing clouds.

* * *

A few days later, Hohenheim received an owl from Lupin. Inside were two letters. On the first was scrawled: _Van, I've forwarded you this letter from Harry Potter. All I can say is… I'm so sorry._

Confused and more than a little anxious, he turned to the second paper. By the time he reached the last line, his hands were trembling so violently that he could barely read. He half-collapsed onto the front steps of the Rockbells' porch, trying to figure out what he should do.

"Is something the matter?" Ling asked as he rounded the corner of the house and saw Hohenheim's solemn expression. The alchemist said nothing at first as he continued to think. Al would have to stay here in Risembool; he would attract too much attention at Hogwarts. Not the ideal solution, but it would have to do.

"Ling," Hohenheim asked at last, "Can you and Greed watch Al for me?"

"Uh, sure. Where are you going?"

"England. I… I need to see Edward. Please, though, don't say anything about it to Alphonse. It would only worry him."

"Oh, I gotcha. Of course, you can count on me, Mr. Hohenheim."

"Thank you."

* * *

Four weeks after the attack in the Forest, Harry was futilely trying to focus on his studies with Ron and Hermione when he noticed someone enter the courtyard: a man with golden hair and eyes.

"Mr. Hohenheim!" he called, dropping the book immediately and sprinting across the cobblestones to greet Ed's dad.

"Harry," said Hohenheim, shaking the boy's hand, "I want to thank you. Without your letter-"

"Don't mention it," Harry replied. "I'm sure you want to see him straight away."

The alchemist nodded, and Harry immediately walked in the direction of the Hospital Wing, indicating for Hohenheim to follow. As they entered the castle, Harry saw Malfoy out of the corner of his eye. The Slytherin was viewing Ed's dad with a mix of hatred and… was that _fear_?

"Who is that?" Hohenheim asked, no doubt having noticed the look he was getting from Malfoy.

"Draco Malfoy."

"Ah, Lucius Malfoy's son. That explains it. It seems I've gained quite a reputation among the Death Eaters and their families."

When they entered the infirmary, Harry stopped so suddenly that Hohenheim almost ran into him. But, he couldn't help it; he was so shocked.

"P… Professor Dumbledore?"

The headmaster was seated at the unconscious boy's side, deep in thought. As Harry and Hohenheim approached, however, he finally looked up… at his colleague. Not for one moment did his gaze and Harry's intersect. It was infuriating; why was Dumbledore so keen on ignoring him, avoiding him? _Let it go_, the more sensible side of his brain told him. _Dumbledore's Dumbledore; he has his reasons for everything_.

"Van," the headmaster greeted, his face full of concern as he rose from his chair.

"Anything?" asked Hohenheim anxiously.

The two sages surveyed the patient as Dumbledore sighed, "The Homunculus is certainly a force to be reckoned with; he has sealed off Edward's mind completely, holding him captive. I'm sorry, but I can't penetrate the barrier."

It was a blunter delivery than Harry would have liked, but Hohenheim nodded in understanding. Dumbledore offered his vacant seat to the alchemist, who took it gratefully. The headmaster then said, "Van, I think you should move him to St. Mungo's. Professor Umbridge has been getting particularly nosy about this business, and he would stand out far less in London."

Ed's father gave his nonverbal consent, the majority of his attention devoted to his son. As Dumbledore glided from the infirmary, he ever-so-casually patted Harry on the shoulder. Even though the contact was only for an instant, it reassured the dark-haired boy to no end. Dumbledore knew what he was doing; as difficult as it was, Harry would just have to trust him.

* * *

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are you ready to give me an answer, Son of Hohenheim?"

"Not the answer you want, that's for sure." Ed strode across the nothingness that his mind has decided was flat. Rounding on the Homunculus, he shouted, "Why the hell won't you just let me go? They're all waiting for me!"

"Because this childishness has gone on long enough. You are not leaving this place until you have decided which side you are going to choose."

"But, I know which side I'm on: whichever one isn't yours!"

The Homunculus laughed. "You keep trying to cover your insecurity with words, Edward Elric." As the boy continued to pace, the monster added, "Perhaps talking to someone other than me will help show you just how uncertain you are."

He evaporated like smoke, leaving Ed alone. "Good riddance, bastard!" Ed yelled after him.

"Hello there, Edward," said the eerie, cracked voice of Shou Tucker.

The young alchemist faced his elder with wide eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, it seems you're having a hard time making an important choice, so I dropped by."

"Like hell you'll be able to offer me any nuggets of wisdom!"

"You think so?" The Sewing-Life Alchemist cupped his chin in his hand as he mused, "Tell me, Edward: as a scientist, aren't you the least bit curious… about what it would be like?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"The next level above humanity – don't you want to know what differentiates the Homunculi from us, to experience it firsthand?"

Ed grit his teeth, "I don't need to experience it! I know exactly what makes them different: a superiority complex and a lack of moral consideration."

"Morals, what are they, really? Just rules made up by a society so it can function. Think about the three tenants of alchemy: don't oppose the Military, don't make gold, don't make people. Each of those rules only exists to give the State more power, to place limits on us alchemists."

"But the last one is tied to the taboo on Human Transmutation for good reason. It's impossible and dangerous."

"That didn't stop you from trying it. Even though you were breaking the rules, you had to in order to satisfy your curiosity. Wouldn't that be a lack of moral consideration, as you put it?"

"Stop it! Quit comparing me to them!"

Tucker only laughed at him. "Don't think about this so much, Edward. If I were you, I'd accept it with no regrets."

"But you're not me, so shut up!" Ed lashed out with his automail hand, knocking the wind out of Tucker. The alchemist sank to the ground, sniggering breathlessly. "Shut up!" Ed screamed, leaping on top of the squirming lunatic and pounding him repeatedly. As the small blonde raised his fist to deal a final blow, Tucker grinned at him.

"Can you really do it, Edward? Can you really kill me in cold blood? That _would_ be something they'd do, now wouldn't it?"

A second later, the laughter stopped, everything stopped. Shou Tucker was dead. Ed stumbled away from the body, staring in horror at his hands.

"Oh, my God. I've done it again. Aagh! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?"

"Whoever said there was anything wrong with you?" It was Bradley who appeared before him now. "When you became a dog of the Military, you left behind the innocence of childhood. It was only a matter of time before you had to get your own hands dirty."

"Go away," Ed grumbled pathetically, "unless you want to die, too."

"See, that's the spirit. If I make you angry, go on, then. Let it out; kill me if you want. It's only a natural reaction."

"But, I'm better than that."

Bradley chuckled, and Ed tensed. Why were they all laughing at him? "What's so damn funny?" the small blonde snapped.

"You're so desperately clinging to something you've already lost." Bradley's face grew serious. "It's time to grow up, Fullmetal. You're a soldier who needs to accept his new orders."

"What if I quit? I'm a wizard now, so maybe I don't even need the Military's help anymore!" He pulled his silver watch from his pocket and threw it at Bradley's feet. "There! I renounce my title as a State Alchemist! What do you say to that?"

Bradley picked up the object and fingered it. "What makes you think magic will make any difference? If it doesn't operate under the same principle as alchemy, what hope do you really have of using it to regain your body, or your brother's?"

Ed made to grab his wand, but it wasn't there.

"Don't bother; that dragon isn't going to give you any help. So, answer me, Fullmetal. Do you really think magic will come to your rescue?"

"I…"

"Then think on it some more. Until then, don't dispose of this so casually." He grabbed Ed's wrist and deposited the watch into the boy's hand, still coated in Tucker's lifeblood. "Well, well – the symbol of a dog, fittingly crusted with blood. Isn't that poetic?" Then, he and Tucker both dissolved into nothingness.

Ed sank to the invisible floor, clutching at the keepsake. How long was this going to go on? _At this rate, I'll be stuck in this place until I go insane._ He rested his head against his knees and waited for the next bombardment.

"Brother?"

Ed sat up as quickly as if he had been struck by lighting. That voice, it couldn't be… and yet, there he was.

"Alphonse."

The suit of armor nodded, giving Ed an inward smile. "You seemed so lonely, so… I thought you might like some company."

Surely the Homunculus, with his black and twisted heart, would never have been able to create an accurate image of Al; this had to be a construction of his own mind, a comfort he desperately wanted.

"Yeah, I would."

Al settled cross-legged next to his brother. "So, why are you still here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why haven't you made up your mind yet?"

Ed stuttered slightly before gathering his thoughts. "I don't know why. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I thought I was sure of myself, but I guess… not as much as I'd hoped."

"Well, I'm here. Maybe I can help you."

"Yeah, maybe…"

Al twiddled his thumbs while he waited for Ed to ask a question. When the elder brother said nothing, he asked one of his own, "What is it you're unsure of?"

"It's just… I worry sometimes… that we're never going to get our bodies back. That our strength, _my_ strength won't be enough."

"Have you exhausted all the possibilities?"

"No, of course not! But… the one path that offers a simple solution… I can't possibly take it."

"Why not?"

Ed snorted, "Because, Al, there's no way I'm gonna grovel to that bearded bastard!"

"Really? You just said you weren't sure of yourself anymore."

"That doesn't mean I'm uncertain of how to answer him."

"But, you are." Al sighed before continuing, "Listen, Ed, if it really would guarantee that we could get our bodies back, why wouldn't you at least consider it? Wouldn't it be worth it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, the end shouldn't justify the means."

Al looked at him for a long moment before stifling a laugh. "What are you talking about, Ed? What else do you think we've been doing all our lives?"

"Huh?"

The suit of armor counted on his fingers. "First: we tried to bring Mom back. To achieve the end of seeing her again, we broke the law by using Human Transmutation. Second: in order to get our bodies back, you joined the Military as a State Alchemist. Third: When we fought Scar a few months ago, we were risking our own lives so we could lure out the Homunculi. Time, after time, after time, we've struggled through the hardships in order to reach our goals."

"But, that's not the same thing!"

"How? How is it not the same?"

"Well… you…"

"'Get our bodies back, no matter what' – that was the promise we made."

"But there are things neither of us would ever do to make that happen!"

"The world isn't black and white, Ed. There are some things I would do that you wouldn't, and the same goes for you."

"But, Al-"

"Please, just stop making excuses!" Al's voice was strained now, and he clenched his fists in frustration. Something was really bothering him; that much was obvious.

"Al? What's wrong? Tell me."

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"It'll be easier… if I show you."

Suddenly, the world tipped. A sensation of falling, of his mind being drawn far away…

Ed entered the Rockbell house and groaned, "When is Hohenheim gonna get back? I'm bored out of my skull in this small town."

_Don't take it for granted_, Ling's inner voice chided him. _This is Ed and Al's home, after all. They didn't turn out so bad. It's probably a place you just can't understand though, what with you wanting "everything this world has to offer" and all that_.

"It's not my fault I can't deny my nature," Ed scoffed. He poked his head into the kitchen where the old woman, Pinako, was hard at work. "Hey, do ya know where I can find Alphonse?"

"He was out back, last time I saw him," replied Pinako. "You should try there first."

"Gotcha." As Ed closed the rear door behind him, he glanced at the Ouroboros tattoo on the back of his left hand. He hated that damn thing; it was just a reminder of the master he no longer served. Then, he noticed Al slumped on the ground, as if he was sleeping.

_That can't be right_, Ling noted. _Al's body normally won't let him sleep_.

"Huh, really?" Ed crouched and knocked on the hollow shell. "Hey! Alphonse, you in there? Helloooo…?"

After several minutes of long silence, Al jolted and sat up abruptly, sending Ed back a few feet.

"Whoa there," Ed panted, his heart racing a little, "What the hell was that just now?"

Al looked at his hands and buried his face in them. "It… it happened again."

"What happened again? Out with it, kid!"

"You… you know how my blood seal works, right?"

"Yeah," Ed shrugged, "the bratty prince told me."

_Who are you calling a brat?_ Ling thundered, quite offended.

"Well, the problem is… my body – my real body – has been pulling on my soul, and it's been happening more and more frequently. Eventually, the strain will be too much, and this armor will reject my soul completely. When that happens… I'll die."

"What?"

_No way_, gasped Ling.

"Isn't there anything you can do to stop it?"

"Only if I can make it back to my real body first." Al looked truly miserable as he said it. The sight of this usually optimistic boy down in the dumps was an outrage against nature. Ed simply _had_ to say _something_.

"Look, kid. You believe in your brother, don't you?"

Al looked up, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"Do you have faith that he'll get you your body back?"

"Of course I do, it's just-"

"Uh-uh! No add-ons. You either trust him, or you don't – so which is it?"

"I… I trust him."

"Then that's all there is to it. That brother of yours, he'd do anything for you – you know that. Believe in him, and he'll come through for you."

Al seemed awed by his words. "Wow, Greed. I didn't know you were such a great motivational speaker."

"Well, don't get used to it," the Homunculus laughed, slapping Al on the back.

Then, just as suddenly as before, Ed's consciousness returned to his own mind. The small blonde immediately examined his left hand, but instead of the Ouroboros tattoo, he found only the scar from his encounter with Umbridge. _I will obey_. Pulling his attention away from the sickening words, Ed faced his brother.

"That was Greed just now, wasn't it?"

Al nodded before hanging his head. "So, now you know. I… I'm going to die, Ed. Unless we can get my body back soon, the blood seal will give out. I have… a matter of months, at _best_."

"Al… I'm doing everything I can-"

"No, that's just it! You're not! You won't take the risk because you're afraid!"

"Who said I'm afraid?"

"You did, in the letter you sent me. You said you were scared."

Ed's eyes went wide as he realized what Al was talking about. "Al… do you mean… you can't want me to-"

"All I know is that I don't want to die. If that happens, you'll be all alone. I don't want that. I want to be able to feel again, to have a body that can feel warmth. I want to be able to touch you; I want you to mess up my hair like you would when we were little. I want you to tickle me and box my ears and arm-wrestle with me and tackle me. I… I just want to be a human again, Ed. Is that so much to ask?"

He could hear the intangible sobs in his little brother's voice, and his heart wrenched inside his chest at the sound. "Al…"

"Please, Ed… I'm begging you: do whatever you have to. I'll help you handle whatever consequences come, but I can't do that if I'm dead." The empty eyes bored into him. "_Please_, I know it's not a perfect plan, but we're not perfect people. If we want to restore our bodies, then we have to make some difficult choices, some sacrifices. We have to give in order to gain."

Ed searched for an argument, for a way to retaliate, but he came up empty. It was just as Greed had said: Ed really would do anything for his brother. Letting out a heavy sigh, he quietly said, "Okay, Al. I understand. I'll do it."

He was suddenly reminded of what Al's body had told him: _"Things are going to get much, much worse, but you can push through, I know it."_

Al reached out a trembling hand, and Ed slipped his own into it. "Thank you, brother," Al sniffled. "Thank you so much."

And then he was gone, like a dream that faded with the morning light. Ed didn't move until he heard the voice he knew would come.

"So, have you decided?" Father asked.

Ed looked over his shoulder at the Homunculus, his mind made up. "Yes… I have."

* * *

It was getting late, but Hohenheim was determined not to leave his son's side. He held the small hand clasped between his, as if through contact he could channel strength into the unconscious form. The scar on Ed's hand was like a stab to his gut – would his son never be able to escape such cruelty? His eyelids grew heavy, and he rested his head against the edge of the mattress, waiting, hoping…

Then, the rhythm of Ed's breathing changed, growing more purposeful. Hohenheim, wide awake now, watched his son with baited breath. A facial muscle twitched, an eyelid fluttered, a soft moan escaped him.

"Edward? Please, Son - please wake up."

Those few minutes felt longer than a hundred years. At last, the boy opened his eyes.

"…Dad?"

That one word broke him; Hohenheim shook with relieved sobs as he pressed the warm, pale hand to his lips. "I was so worried," he choked, "so worried that I'd lost you."

Ed said nothing as he let his father release his emotions, but instead glanced around at his unfamiliar surroundings. "Where… am I?" he asked at length.

"St. Mungo's Hospital… in London," Hohenheim managed as he slowly mastered himself once more.

"Damn… was it really that bad?" Ed started to smile, but changed his mind when he saw his father's expression. "How long?"

"It's December 16th, almost the 17th."

"WHAT?" Dumbstruck, Ed ran his metal fingers through his loose hair and cursed under his breath. "That's six weeks since I… Dammit, could I already be too late?"

"Too late?" Hohenheim repeated. "What are you talking about, Ed?"

The boy obviously hadn't meant for him to overhear. "Never mind – it was something in a dream, that's all."

"Tell me."

Ed bit his lip, but succumbed, "I think Al's blood seal isn't going to last much longer."

"You saw that in a dream?"

"Sort of. Look, Dad, I'm fine now, so please go and look after him."

"Son, you are nowhere near fine. You've been in a coma for over a month; it'll take time for you to get back to full strength."

"My friends at Hogwarts will keep me in line. I'll take it easy, I promise." Ed gripped Hohenheim's sleeve. "_Please_, Dad."

The sagely alchemist sighed. "How about this? You can return to Hogwarts, and I'll return to Al, _but_ with the full intention of bringing him back with me for the holidays. As soon as term ends, he and I will take care of you."

"You don't have to make me sound like such an invalid," Ed grumbled. He pondered the deal for a moment, as if inwardly weighing something… secret. "Okay," he said finally.

As Hohenheim walked back to Ed's hospital room after finalizing the discharge papers, he saw a Healer closing the door on his way out. The man had a satisfied smile on his face as he passed Hohenheim, but something about it was disquieting.

"Who was that?" he asked as soon as he'd entered the room.

Ed adjusted his weight on the small mountain of pillows that propped him up, but he replied without missing a beat. "Just one of the doctors – oh, wait – they're called Healers here, aren't they?"

"Why was he here?"

"Just sharing pleasantries. He thought it was funny that we hadn't spoken even though I'd been admitted for two weeks."

The small blonde's face was wholly sincere; if he was hiding something, he was doing an expert job of it. Hohenheim wanted to believe Edward was being honest with him, and he hoped he was indeed making the right decision. "Everything's arranged, so… if it's all right, I'll be going now."

"Dad, wait." Ed turned a little red as he played with a strand of his bangs. "I, uh… I wouldn't mind if… that is…"

Understanding what Ed couldn't make himself say, Hohenheim sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped Ed in a warm hug. "Please, take it slowly."

"I will." Suddenly, Hohenheim realized that, for the first time, Ed was returning his embrace. "I'm sorry I worried you so much." His voice cracked a little as he added, "You know, Dad, I… I've forgiven you – a while ago, actually. I just want to make sure you know that."

These words he had longed to hear for so long brought tears back to Hohenheim's eyes, but something seemed… wrong. Why was Ed talking as if… as if this might be the last time they spoke to each other? He pulled back so he could look Edward directly in the eyes. "What's wrong, Son?"

"Nothing. I guess I'm just feeling sentimental, what with brushing death and all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, really. See ya soon."

Having thus been informally dismissed, Hohenheim nodded, kissed Ed's forehead, and departed.

* * *

It was the last DA meeting before the holidays, but Harry wasn't feeling very festive as he, Ron, and Hermione set off for the Room of Requirement. When they reached the corridor containing the hidden door, however, Kevin ran up to the trio with such a jubilant expression, he looked as if he might explode from sheer happiness.

"Harry!" he squealed delightedly. "You won't believe it! Come on, hurry!" He pulled the thunderstruck Gryffindor into the Room, and then it was Harry's turn for relief and joy to wash over him. A pale and thin, but very much awake and alive Ed was stretched comfortably on a couch, surrounded by the other members of the DA.

"Ed!" cried Hermione as soon as she and Ron caught up.

"Hey," the small blonde said, and even though his voice was nowhere near its usual intensity, it was a comfort to hear nonetheless.

Harry approached the group and smiled. "You… look awful."

"Speak for yourself," Ed retorted, grinning.

"Bloody hell, mate!" goggled Ron. "Nothing can kill you, can it?"

"Guess not."

"So, how are you feeling?" asked Harry.

"I'll get there," Ed shrugged. "Thankfully, automail can't atrophy, so I only need one crutch." Then, turning to the throng of gathered students, he said, "Okay, guys. Quit fussing over me and go learn something. I'm gonna have to sit this one out anyway."

As the DA members shuffled off, Harry stayed by the couch for a moment longer. "So, everything's healed, then?"

"Yeah, pretty much. It's still a little tender, though. Ginny tried to get me to show all the girls the scar; it's pretty damn huge, even by my standards."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. We were all really worried."

"So I hear. Uh, I think they're waiting for you."

Harry glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, right."

As the evening progressed, Harry kept an occasional eye on his small friend. Ed watched the goings-on with an unreadable, distant expression. Maybe he was just worn out from all the attention – at least, Harry hoped the reason for his behavior was so benign.

* * *

Michael had acted as spotter for Ed while the stubborn blonde insisted he could make it to Ravenclaw Tower on his own strength. Still, he let loose a small sigh of relief when his friend was finally settled in bed. _That idiot pushes himself too hard_. Feeling tired himself, Michael soon found sleep calling to him, pulling him into the dark warmth…

"Michael! Michael, get up!"

Was that Kevin's voice? He sounded worried. Maybe it was just a dream…

"Michael, please! Something's wrong with Ed!"

_Now_ he was awake. Brushing his long hair out of his face, Michael kicked off the covers and crossed the room in a matter of seconds. Ed was exhibiting all the symptoms of an intense nightmare: eyes darting under their lids, body jerking unsystematically, heavy breathing, and cold sweat. But there was something else, too, and it took longer than usual for Michael to notice it. Placing a hand on Ed's chest, he felt the small blonde's heart suddenly beat out of time. After a few more seconds, it happened again, and Ed winced audibly.

"What should we do?" said Kevin, sounding just as helpless as they both felt.

"First of all, let's see if we can wake him." Michael grabbed Ed by the shoulders and shook him. "Hey! Ed, it's just a dream; snap out of it!"

Anthony and Terry had stirred by now, and they joined their dormmates.

"Can't he sleep naturally for one night?" groaned Anthony, rubbing his eyes.

"Donna blame Ed," Terry retorted. "He canna exactly control it."

"I thought that's what his lessons with Snape were for."

"But, he's a lot weaker right now," Kevin defended, "and he hasn't gotten the chance for a lesson in over two months, remember?"

Anthony bit back his retort. Michael, having been unsuccessful in Tactic One, slapped Ed's face with increasing force. "Wake up, you little idiot!" he snapped.

Almost immediately, Ed sat up so quickly that all four Ravenclaws jumped away from the bed.

"Blimey, Ed!" Terry laughed, trying to insert some humor in the situation. "You gave us quite a tur-"

"Dumbledore," Ed said, forcing himself to speak clearly. "I have to… to tell Dumbledore."

"Tell him what?" Michael asked. "Why?"

"It can't wait. They… they found Vol-" Before he could finish, his heart lurched again, cutting off his breath.

"Wait, do you mean You-Know-Who?" Kevin asked, slack-jawed.

"Who's found him?" Terry pressed.

Ed couldn't gather enough air to say; the palpitations were becoming more and more frequent.

"We've got no choice," Michael reasoned. "We'll have to take him to Dumbledore."

"What? Now?" said Anthony.

"Yes, now," Michael repeated, slinging Ed's right arm over his shoulder. "So, are you going to help me, or not?"

No one argued with him. When the five boys descended to the Common Room, they found Luna stargazing. As soon as they told her what Ed had said, she immediately joined the caravan. The Ravenclaws proceeded as quickly and quietly as possible along the hallways until they reached the corridor where the headmaster's office resided. Terry peeked around the corner and pulled back sharply, motioning for everyone to stop.

"What's wrong?" Luna whispered.

"It's Umbridge and McGonagall," the Scot replied. After the two women's voices and footsteps could no longer be heard, they approached the gargoyle concealing the entrance.

"Password?"

"Fizzing Whizbee," supplied Anthony, recalling what Flitwick had told Ed several months before.

Needless to say, Dumbledore was surprised to find the six Ravenclaws at his door. For some reason, Michael could almost read the phrase _"Two in one night?"_ in the timeless face.

Once Ed had been deposited into a chair, he struggled to speak. "Sir… the… the…"

"Take it slowly," Dumbledore suggested, placing a calming hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's all right; take your time."

After several long minutes of pained panting, Ed seemed to conquer the worst of the spasms. He looked at Dumbledore and gravely announced, "The Homunculi… they've found Voldemort."

The headmaster's blue eyes widened. "Are you _seeing_ this?"

Ed nodded shakily. "Bits and pieces… but, whenever the Killing Curse hits one of them-" He didn't have to explain further as yet another irregular heartbeat thumped inside his chest.

"All right, I understand. Just lie still; this is far too much excitement than you should be trying to handle in your condition."

Lacking the energy to protest, Ed leaned his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Dumbledore looked to Michael and the others and smiled. "Thank you for looking after him."

"It's no trouble, sir," Michael replied, even though Anthony rolled his eyes briefly.

"Uh, sir?" Kevin asked. "Is it okay if we wait here until he's feeling better?

"Of course."

As the tremors finally passed, Dumbledore turned to a new subject, "Edward, I think perhaps I should send you on to headquarters. I've just sent Harry and the Weasleys there, after all."

"Why is that, sir?" Ed asked, cocking an eyebrow. "What happened with them?"

"Harry can tell you in person, and you can stay with Sirius for the holidays. In fact, I think that was your father's plan anyway-"

"NO." Ed's voice was much stronger than before, catching all of them by surprise. Now it was Dumbledore's turn to look perplexed as the small blonde quickly regulated his tone, "Thank you, sir… but I don't think that's a good idea. We all know full well that the Homunculus can see through me; if he's joined forces with Voldemort, then I'd just be a window of information at headquarters."

The headmaster narrowed his eyes, but sighed. "That is certainly a possibility."

"It's too dangerous. I can just stay here, or-"

"Why don't you come home with me?" Luna piped up suddenly, attracting everyone's attention. "Me and my dad can look after him," she said to Dumbledore genially. "It's out in the country, so that'll make it easier for him to rest, away from all the fuss. When Ed's dad and brother get to England, they can join us, too, if they like."

The headmaster glanced down at Ed. "Well?"

The young alchemist mulled it over. Maybe Michael was seeing things, but something about Ed's expression felt like a cause for alarm, as if he was secretly talking to someone he knew he shouldn't.

"Yeah," Ed said at last, smiling faintly, "that'll be perfect."

* * *

A/N: Wow, a chapter that has less of Ed's POV than usual feels so… _strange_, doesn't it? But, that's on purpose (as everything in writing is _supposed_ to be). I can't let you know much of his thoughts just yet… It's intentional ambiguity that will be dealt with in the next chapter (which is why I'm so excited about it).

Hagrid's dialect is going to be the death of me. Just let me know if you can't understand what he's saying, and I'll tone down. If you want to know what he told Harry, Ron, and Hermione, please just read the chapter in the book, because I was too lazy to squeeze it in here…

As I've said before, I don't do yaoi, so **PLEASE** don't interpret any of what Al said in the unsavory light of Elricest, cuz that's just not how I write.

Ed/Hohenheim fluff… hmm, I _wonder_ who that Healer was… *cough* shapeshifter *cough*

Yay, I got to write Michael's POV and enter his Holmesian brain! *mind explodes*

Notice how Dumbledore didn't mention Grimmauld Place by name in front of the non-Order-connected students? Yeah…


	17. The Quibbler Christmas Party

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Because of developments starting in this chapter, I had to update my reasons for the T rating… I will warn you now: LUST LIVES UP TO HER NAME FROM HERE ON OUT. I've sweated blood over trying to make this work, so bear with me, onegai…

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Guest**: Yep! You are right on the money! Al was another illusion made by Father to convince Ed… and it worked. The logic for that conversation came to me all at once; it was an amazing flash of inspiration (Thank You, dear Lord! Otherwise, I would have had such a hard time making it believable).

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**The Quibbler Christmas Party**

The Lovegood house was certainly… characteristic. From the circular structure of the building to the bushes growing dirigible plums, the place unmistakably belonged to Luna and her dad, who turned out to be even more eccentric than his daughter.

"Any friend of Luna's is welcome in our home," he cheerily greeted, shaking Ed's hand for a full ten seconds before realizing that it was metal. He probably would have started taking apart the arm from overwhelming curiosity had Luna not intervened.

"Daddy, Ed's here to rest, so please let him be, all right?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," said Mr. Lovegood, nodding and rubbing his hands together so he wouldn't be tempted any further.

"So, then," Luna asked after carrying Ed's small trunk to the guest room, "are you tired, Ed?"

"No, I'm fine. Why don't you show me around? I'm sure fresh air would do me some good."

"All right." She smiled, pulling gently on Ed's crutch. "Why don't you leave this here? You can lean on me if you need to."

Before he could protest, she had laid aside the support and encircled his right arm with her left. When they descended the front steps, Ed had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the snow covering the ground. It had been a long time since he'd seen snow, and he inwardly thanked Winry for equipping him with automail that would resist frostbite. As they walked around the castle-like house, Luna pointed out the various plants that she and her father grew, telling him all about the magical abilities they possessed. As much as he enjoyed Luna's enthusiasm, Ed's mind began to wander. _This place… in a way, it reminds me of home. I don't know how much _rest_ I'll be able to get, though, what with everything else going on. It won't be long now. Only a few days…_

_**Are you suddenly so eager?**_

_More like I want to get it over with._

_**Everything has been arranged in due time, so you'll just have to be patient.**_

Ed recalled the day he'd been discharged from St. Mungo's. He had been waiting for Hohenheim to get back when that Healer had come in.

"Oh, uh…" Ed had begun, not sure what excuse he was supposed to make.

"Relax, pipsqueak, it's _me_," the Healer had cut in.

"Envy?"

"Duh."

"Why are you here?"

"I was in the area, so I thought I'd slip in for a quick chat." Envy had leaned closer and smirked as he'd asked, "So, you finally decided?"

"Yes," Ed had replied, not letting his voice waver for a second. "I already told your Father that."

"Congrats on picking the right side. You'll find yourself liking it before you know it."

"Don't rub it in."

"Well, Father wanted me to tell you in person about how things are gonna play out."

Ed had looked quizzically at the Homunculus. "How so?"

"These people have a holiday coming up soon called Christmas. Just make sure you aren't in the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters on that night, and we'll finalize our little… arrangement then. Pride, Lust, Sloth, and I will all be there."

"Won't Sloth stick out?"

"Not when I'm done with him. Pride said he'd mentioned to you how we've gotten stronger. Wanna guess what my new perk is?"

"Are you saying you can transform other people, too?"

"Bingo, but it only seems to work effectively on other Homunculi because our bodies are more mutable. I'm sure you'll still be able to spot us in our disguises, though. Well, see you then, pipsqueak."

Ed's thoughts returned to the present just as Luna was saying, "Of course, all of this area will be decorated for the party."

"Party? What party?"

"The Christmas party," Luna beamed. "Daddy has one every year for all the people who help him with _The Quibbler_. Don't worry; you don't have to come down to it. I'd completely understand if you'd rather rest."

"No, I'll think about it. It might be fun, even though I have no idea what the big deal about this 'Christmas' is. We don't have it in Amestris."

"Really? Well, we consider it a time to celebrate family and friends. It's a holiday about giving."

"Oh… I see." Ed's face became a little forlorn as he thought, _Well, I guess that makes it the right holiday for this deal. A party, huh? With Envy's help, I'm sure the Homunculi will be able to blend in with a crowd easily enough._

* * *

Even though Luna asserted that Ed shouldn't push himself, the young alchemist insisted on making himself useful however possible. Normally, simple tasks like shoveling snow or cleaning dishes would have bored him to no end, but he found himself grateful for the change of pace. At least it gave him something to do other than contemplate his impending future. What would this arrangement mean? How high would the price be? Father had become silent, tired of the boy's impatient questions. Whenever Luna would ask Ed why he seemed so melancholy, the small blonde would always give her an excuse of exhaustion, but he could tell she was starting to grow suspicious that he wasn't telling her the whole truth.

On Christmas morning, Ed did his best to endure all the Lovegood family traditions, even going so far as to drink a steaming mug of Gurdyroot Infusion. As he watched Luna and her father, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. They had welcomed him into their home, trying to keep him safe… but tonight, he would betray that trust by surrendering to the enemy. A small part of his mind considered reopening the debate, but he shut it down. _No, I've made up my mind. No more doubting. If I have to go through Hell itself to get Al's body back, I'll do it._

After the morning festivities, Ed lay on his bed, worried that if he tried to face Luna again that day, he would break down and confess what he was about to do. Eventually, the sun began to sink toward the hills, and Ed's heartbeat involuntarily began to speed up. _Only a few hours now…_

"Ed?" Luna asked from the stairwell. Forcing his face to look calm, he turned to her… and his jaw nearly fell off. The girl he was used to seeing in mismatched clothes wore a knee-length dress of crystal blue, matching well with her pale grey eyes. It was a frilly, girly look, but Ed still found himself flushing.

"Uh… you look… really nice."

She smiled warmly at him. "That's very kind of you. I was just wondering if you've decided."

"Decided?" His mind inadvertently referred to the last time he was asked that question, but he quickly blocked out the correlation.

"If you're coming down to the party or not."

"Has it started already?"

"Not yet, but I wanted to check with you beforehand because I found this in one of Daddy's closets." Up to this point, she had been hiding something behind her back, but now she brought it into plain view.

"Is that… a tux?"

"Oh, is that what they're called? Daddy collects Muggle clothes sometimes, and since he's never going to wear this, I thought maybe you might like to try it on. After all, I figured you wouldn't like the prospect of dress robes."

"Good judgment," Ed laughed softly, limping a little as he met her at the threshold and accepted the suit. "Sure, I'll come down. Just give me a minute."

He had to make a few adjustments in measurement, but they were easy enough with alchemy. The bow tie and cummerbund were more of a challenge, but eventually, he conquered them, too. At last, he examined his reflection in the glare of the window and, on a spur of the moment, exchanged his usual braid for a simple ponytail.

"Well," he said to himself as he pulled on his white gloves, "this is it."

The party took place outside, the snow having been cleared away and the grass enchanted into an out-of-season viridian. The problem was: once Ed reached the crowd, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

_Are they here?_

_**Yes.**_

_Where?_

_**They'll find you.**_

_Dammit, why do you always give me such frustrating answers?_

_**Why do you always ask such stupid questions?**_

Left with that belittling response, Ed meandered aimlessly through the gathering of eccentric guests, his eyes darting back and forth. _Where are you?_ Just then, he momentarily had a vision of the back of his own head. _One's close, but which-_

"My, my, don't you look handsome?" said a girl about his age as she wrapped herself around his left arm. Ed knew who she must be even before he saw the cascades of curly dark hair and the violet eyes.

"Lust?" he whispered.

"Hello, Edward. Oh, but I'm undercover, so you'll have to start calling me Solaris."

"Uh, okay." Ed was becoming very distracted, his gaze crossing over her red lips down to where her Ouroboros tattoo was normally displayed. Even though the mark had been hidden, thanks to Envy's new ability, her fashion choices hadn't changed much. Her blood-red evening gown left little to the imagination. _Why must she insist on wearing…?_

"Something caught your attention?" she asked, arching her back so that her half-covered chest only grew more prominent. Turning the color of a beet, Ed immediately glued his eyes on a nearby tree, and the self-proclaimed Solaris smirked with satisfaction. "So, you _are_ a man, after all."

"Don't tease me for something that's _your_ fault."

Solaris only giggled, which, in turn, made Ed's face feel even hotter.

"Aren't we supposed to meet with the others?"

"Not immediately. I need to explain the situation to you more thoroughly. Let's just… take a little walk." She pulled him along as she began to elaborate. "This is the beginning of a larger infiltration of the Wizarding World, which is why we four needed to construct false identities. It was easy, really."

"What was?"

"Convincing all these people that we've been around for years. We invented an entire pureblood lineage, the house of Mulus. Honestly, don't look so surprised. If Hohenheim was able to create a Fidelius Charm that shielded all of the Alchemical World, did you really think Father wouldn't be able to cast a Memory Charm on the entire Wizarding World?"

"So, he can do magic?"

"Well, of course. He is of Hohenheim's blood, just as you are."

"Oh, right. So, you're Solaris. What about the others?"

"Pride is Selim, Envy is Kateus, and Sloth is Lenost. We decided keeping the sibling image would be the most convincing, since it _is_ true."

"Was your Father drunk when he came up with those names?"

Solaris laughed. "Edward, Father's never been drunk in his life."

"First time for everything."

She suppressed her continued mirth with a gloved hand before noting, "You're trying to make a joke because you're nervous. Relax."

"Easy for _you_ to say. Any more informative bombs to drop on me, or can we get on to making this deal?"

"Look at you: Mr. Eager."

"As I told your Father, I'm _not_ eager. I just want to get it over with."

"Keep telling yourself that, Edward, dear."

"Don't call me 'dear.'"

"Or what? Making empty threats is a bad habit, silly boy. It just makes you look desperate and weak."

"But, he _is_ both of those things, Solaris," said Pride, appearing out of nowhere. He looked no different than when Ed had met him in the Forest; apparently his innocent façade needed no alterations. "Why don't we move this conversation to somewhere more private?"

"Fine by me," the female Homunculus shrugged.

"There's a storage shed behind the house," remembered Ed. "It's a good distance away from the party."

"Excellent," the boy now going by Selim nodded. "I'll let the other two know to meet us there."

* * *

By the time the five had convened inside the shed, Ed could feel beads of sweat gluing his bangs to the sides of his face. Hoping to ease his tension, he removed his jacket, tie, cummerbund, and gloves, even going so far as to untuck his shirt and roll up the sleeves to his elbows.

"What's the matter, pipsqueak?" teased Envy. His disguise as Kateus Mulus wasn't exactly… subtle. Other than the fact that his hair was considerably shorter in back and he wasn't strolling around half-naked anymore, the shapeshifter looked pretty much the same. He definitely had the same degrading grin as he added, "You look like you're about to wet yourself or something."

"Shut up," Ed mumbled grumpily. "And what's with you? Couldn't you try doing something _normal_ with your hair? Now you just look like a pineapple instead of a palm tree."

Selim actually laughed at Ed's remark. "He has a point."

"Don't you _dare_ side with him!" Kateus snapped. "And _you_, pipsqueak. Just because you're jumping in with us doesn't mean you get to talk down to me! Quite the opposite, in fact-"

"Boys, boys," Solaris interjected, motioning that they should all calm down. "We're not here to squabble; we're here… to negotiate."

"Whatever," Kateus grumbled, crossing his arms and legs so that he looked like a mutant pretzel.

"Lenost, go keep watch," Selim ordered. "This conversation would just go over your head anyway."

"Ooookaaaay," the monster also called Sloth complied. Ed had only seen him in his natural form once, so he wasn't sure what differences to note. His overall size had diminished to more normal proportions, but he still had lanky black hair that hung in his face, shading his emotionless eyes and slow-minded expression. Once the largest Mulus closed the door of the shed behind him, the three remaining Homunculi gathered on one side across from Ed.

"So…" the small blonde began, clearing his throat. "What now?"

"Now, we lay all our cards on the table," said Solaris, taking charge of the conversation. Out of the corner of his eye, Ed saw Selim throw his sister a dirty look, as if he was offended that _she_ was directing the parley. _Wow, guys, sibling rivalry much?_

"All right, then," he said aloud. "So, what are you offering?"

"The restoration of your brother's body – and yours – as well as the mortality that Hohenheim's wanted for so long, and your eventual freedom, if you want it. Oh, and our word that we'll double-cross Voldemort."

It took a few moments for Ed to process that, having only expected the first item on that list. Interpreting his confused expression, Solaris pointed out, "Father's been able to see directly into your soul for the past four months; do you really think he doesn't know exactly what you want to hear?"

"But… you're serious?"

"Of course."

"Why would you even join up with Voldemort if you just plan on backstabbing him?"

"Father's just using him, like he would any other human," Selim explained, beating his sister to the punch.

"Why does he need Voldemort?"

"That's for Father to know, and you not to ask," put in Kateus.

Solaris then took the floor again. "Suffice it to say that Voldemort thinks he's the one in charge… and he's gravely mistaken."

Ed wasn't content with that answer. "Does it have something to do with human sacrifices? Kimblee said I was still one. Why do you even need those anymore? I thought you'd ditched that plan."

"Not ditched, merely revised." Solaris interlaced her long fingers under her chin as she prepared another explanation. "The fascinating thing about the Wizarding World is that these people don't realize how much energy they leave lying around in the wake of their spellcasting and wand-waving. They can only use this residual energy to trace magical activity, but an alchemist with enough talent, like Father, can actually harness this discarded power. Though each of us Homunculi still require a Philosopher's Stone as an anchor for our life force, the energy left by magic considerably enhances our strength, as you've already seen."

"So, he's going to collect all of this energy instead of taking human souls?"

"Precisely. It's much cleaner and quieter; after all, it's not like the wizards are going to miss an energy source they can't even use. And the best part is, no one else has to die."

Kateus scoffed loudly. "She's saying that for your benefit, pipsqueak, not because she gives a damn either way."

"I picked up on that myself, thanks."

"Who said I didn't care? If knowing that will help Edward enjoy working with us, then of course I care."

"Hey!" Kateus cut in. "As long as he's a human, he works _for_ us, not _with_ us. That right is reserved for _pureblood_ Homunculi only." He sneered at Ed as he threw in the Wizarding term. "I guess that makes you a whole other kind of _Mudblood_, doesn't it?"

"Quit trying to pick a fight, Kateus," Selim chided, noticing Ed's pissed expression. "You're only wasting time. Solaris, cut to the chase and tell him what his side of the bargain is."

_Here it comes_, Ed gulped.

The female Homunculus smiled at him and simply said, "You."

"Come again?"

"We want you; I thought that would have been obvious. Think of it like the way a pawnshop works: you sell something with the intention of earning it back. In this case, that something is you, body and soul. If you serve us well, then you get all the rewards we promised."

"How is that an equivalent exchange?"

"Honestly, Edward, I think being in that coma for so long addled your thinking ability. Did you learn nothing from your encounter with the Truth all those years ago? Real equivalence has nothing to do with mass or energy; it's all about _value_. In mundane transmutations, the principle is just overly simplified as the Law of Equivalent Exchange you're more familiar with. The point is: your entire being is worth the same as what we've offered. Well, the information about the Wizarding World you gave Father contributed to your side of the scale as well-"

Selim interrupted, "You can shut up now, Solaris. He gets the idea." Meeting the small blonde's gaze, he continued, "Well, Edward? We're waiting."

_I… I can't turn back now. I've already decided. I'm getting Al's body back, no matter what. Come on – say it._ He took a deep breath and forced the words out. "I accept your terms."

Solaris winked. "Now, was that so hard?"

_Hell, yes._ "No, not really. But, uh, isn't there anything more official than that? Paperwork, or someth-"

Ed was cut off by Kateus's uproarious howls of laughter. "_PAPERWORK_? God, you're dense sometimes, pipsqueak!"

"Ignore him," Solaris advised, slipping down from the box on which she had been sitting and approaching Ed purposefully, almost hungrily. "Yes, there is an official means of sealing this… contract." She glanced meaningfully at Selim, and the eldest Homunculus nodded. Before Ed could ask what she meant, Pride's shadows had crept out of the corners and pinned him to the floor by his wrists and ankles. Solaris, with a swish of her long dress, descended on top of him just above his hips. Slipping off her elbow-length gloves, she touched a forefinger to his lips and whispered, "Shh. Don't be frightened."

"I'm not." It was a pitiful lie, but he felt he should say it all the same. Solaris unbuttoned his shirt and pulled the white cloth to the sides, leaving his torso exposed to the cold air.

Kateus whistled. "That's quite a scar, pipsqueak. Maybe you and that Ishvalan should form a club: Injured by Kimblee Anonymous."

"Can you stop teasing him for _two seconds_ while I work?" Solaris huffed, glaring at her brother. The shapeshifter gave a compliant shrug, but once his sister's attention was on Edward again, he stuck his tongue out at the pair of them. Solaris bent over Ed, placing her fingers directly over his heart. "Try to hold still." Her Ultimate Spears cut into his flesh, and though the pain made him want to scream, he remained still and silent. Finally, her daggers retracted, but when Ed lifted his head to inspect her work, she pressed him back to the floor, saying, "Don't look. I'm not finished yet." Reaching down the front of her low-cut gown, she pulled out a vial full of a red liquid that glowed faintly.

"Is… is that…?" Ed couldn't even collect himself enough to form a complete question, but Solaris understood.

"A Philosopher's Stone? No. You're still so weak from your coma that trying that would almost certainly kill you. It's blood, taken from each of us four and Father."

"Then, why-"

"It's been enchanted. You've heard of the Unbreakable Vow, haven't you?" When Ed nodded, she continued, "Well, think of this as an alchemical second-cousin to that." Uncorking the vial, she held it a few inches above the fresh wound and added, "This will sting a little."

The blood burned like an acid, so intensely that more than one groan of discomfort escaped him. If he had to describe the sensation, it was like every nerve in his body was being chained. When at last the pain eased, he heard Solaris tell her brothers, "Why don't you boys go and amuse yourselves for the rest of the evening? I'll… acquaint Edward with his new position."

"Which is really just _your_ way of amusing yourself," Kateus sniggered. Ed felt the shadows release him as two pairs of feet traveled to the door and disappeared.

As soon as he and Solaris were quite alone, shut inside the shed, Ed asked, "Is that it?"

"That's it." She stroked one side of his face as she added, "And you were such a brave boy."

"Okay… um, well, if that's it, then… could you get off of me?" The sensation of her straddling him was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. To his surprise and bewilderment, she cocked an eyebrow and laughed at him.

"Why should I?"

"Because I asked. It's _my_ body that you're… smothering."

In an instant, her demeanor changed to that of a hungry predator. She worked his shirt off entirely before he could even react and hissed, "Haven't you been listening, Edward? As of a few minutes ago, you are no longer the owner of that body; it belongs to us." Pulling out his hair tie, she forced his head up so that he could finally see the aftermath of her work. Carved into his chest was the mark of the Ouroboros – not a tattoo, but a cauterized scar. "Do you fully realize what this means?"

Too deep in shock to make a verbal response, Ed only stared at the blood-red symbol.

"It's a brand… marking you… as our _property_." She drew out the phrases to make sure he understood all the implications of that one sentence. "You just _sold_ yourself to us. So, according to the conditions of our agreement, you, as property, must obey every command your masters give you, understand?"

Ed was too terrified to reply, at which Solaris took hold of his chin and forced him to look directly at her. "Answer me, Edward."

"Yes," the boy said at once, the word wrung from him by a force he couldn't control.

"And does property have _any right_ to give its masters an order?"

"No," he answered promptly even though his voice quavered.

"Then, there you have it. I will 'get off' of you when I feel like it, not one second sooner."

"Besides," she said, the harshness of her tone diminishing, "I've waited four months for tonight. Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to run my hands all over you, my Fullmetal boy?" As if to prove her point, she traced her fingers along his throat, over his chest, down his abdominals, and under the upper edge of his pants, hugging his skin like a magnet. Just before she went too far, Ed pulled her hand sharply to the side so that it instead touched the front of his left hip.

"No," he said bluntly. Alongside the fear that lingered in his voice was a defiance he hadn't felt since before the attack in the Forest. He _would not_ let this Homunculus – this manipulative bitch – grope him as if he was an animal.

Solaris eyed him with intensified interest. "_There's_ the fire I've been waiting for. I know what this is about. You're afraid I'm going to take what you think belongs to that mechanic girl you're so fond of. You want to save yourself for her."

"What's wrong with that?" Ed demanded, his color and temper rising.

For a moment, Solaris looked rather vicious, but then she smiled. "Actually, I think it's quite romantic of you, not to mention innocent. Tell you what?" She removed her intrusive hand and let his boxers snap back against his skin. "I'll allow you that _one_ layer of protection. That _one_ part of you, I won't touch." Only then did her nimble fingers begin unfastening his pants. "But the _rest_ of you… that's _all_ _mine_. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

"I know this is just your nature, and all that," Ed persisted, trying to push her away, "but I really don't know how much 'fun' you think you can have in this one-sided situation, cuz I'm not interested."

"Oh? You don't think I'm beautiful?"

"I didn't say that; I said I'm not-"

"Then that's all the 'interest' you need. Everything else is just… instinct."

"I don't need a 'birds and bees' talk from a sadistic cougar who's toying with me!"

Solaris laughed again. "Cougar? In terms of my physical state, I'm just as young as you are, Edward – Envy made sure of that. I just have more… experience." Becoming annoyed with his attempts to throw her off, she snapped, "Stop struggling."

Instantly, he went limp. He urged his body to move, but nothing happened. She had left him defenseless with two words.

"You forced me into that, you know. I would prefer it if you went along willingly, but… everything in due time."

"Are you _deaf_? I'M NOT INTERES-."

"Do you want to know what my enhanced abilities are?" she interrupted. "Well, I'm going to tell you anyway." She pressed a hand to his forehead, and, after a few seconds of silence, he began to feel… warm… dizzy… "You're feeling it right now. As a scientist, I'm sure you're familiar with the purpose of… hormones." Not waiting for him to confirm the obvious, she went on, "Right now, I can sense the level and concentration of every hormone in your body, and I can alter those properties… just by touching you." She cupped his face in her hands. "I can, quite literally, turn you on."

Again, Ed tried to move his arms, with just as little success at before. _No, I don't want this. Stop it. Get away_. But even these thoughts of protest were growing fainter, less… genuine. An unfamiliar desire was boiling inside of him, clouding his judgment. Sensing that the fight was almost hers, Solaris leaned forward… and kissed him. What was worse: he didn't mind – he enjoyed it. No longer concerned about struggling, Ed found he was able to move as he gave in to the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around her. The last vestiges of resistance faded; thought was no longer necessary. All he knew was that she really was beautiful, and he never wanted to let her go.

* * *

Alphonse was glad to be back at Grimmauld Place, with Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys, Sirius, and the rest. Everyone was there… everyone but Ed.

"Didn't he send you a message or anything?" Harry asked in surprise. "I was told he's at Luna Lovegood's."

"It's pretty close to our house," Ron pointed out in-between large mouthfuls of Christmas dinner, "just over the hill, really."

"But, _why_ isn't he here?" Al asked miserably.

Harry's face grew more solemn as he replied, "I was told that, too. He was worried that he'd be a liability, a window into headquarters." As he said the theory aloud, Al could see the dark-haired boy taking the words personally, as if secretly applying them to himself.

"Because…" Al couldn't even make himself say it: _Because the Homunculus has latched onto his mind_. Even without the full question, Harry understood and nodded.

"Tell you what, Al," Ginny suggested. "I'll write Luna, and we can all meet at the Burrow for New Year's. You can see Ed then."

"Oh… okay."

Leaving the others to their festivities, Al journeyed to the empty drawing room where, on their first night in number twelve, Ed had seen the boggart and confessed his secret fear. He could still picture the golden eyes filled with terror. _"Do… do you… hate me?"_

"Of course not," Al said to the empty air. "Don't be stupid. I could never hate you, Brother."

His hands trembled as the news his father had brought him a week ago rang in his mind: _"In early November, Edward was gravely injured in a fight with an alchemist named Kimblee. Up until just the other day, he was locked in a deep coma. I didn't tell you until it was over because I didn't want to worry you. Are you… angry with me?"_

"No," the younger Elric mused aloud. "I'm not mad at you, Dad. It's just… why does everyone insist on hiding things from me? I'm not ten anymore; I've seen people die right in front of me, I've almost lost my brother more times than I can count, and now… I might die soon, too. For as long as I'm still alive, I want to help us press forward. Ed, Dad, it's not fair for you to shut me out. Why do we always seem to be keeping secrets from each other?"

"I thought you might be in here," Hohenheim cut in, looking nostalgic and forlorn. Al blushed inwardly as he realized his father must have entered the room sometime during his private rant. Hohenheim placed a comforting hand on Al's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Son. It was overprotective of me not to tell you sooner about Ed's condition. Perhaps it was because I was so afraid myself that I didn't want to force that burden on you, too."

"It… it's okay. I understand." After a pause, Al changed topic, "Dad, don't you think it's strange that Ed didn't tell us where he was going, almost like… like he was avoiding us on purpose?"

"You know him better than I do, Alphonse, but… no, I don't think it's strange… for _him_. He likes to try to shoulder things on his own, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, that's Ed. It's one of his more stubborn traits."

"Well, then, you should tell him off about it when you see him in a few days. That might teach him."

Al laughed in spite of himself. "Maybe… it's worth a shot. But, are you sure we shouldn't try to see him sooner?"

"No," Hohenheim decided, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "If he's with friends, I trust them to look after him. I'm sure he's fine."

* * *

"Edward? Edward." The voice needed several tries before reaching him. At last, he surfaced from the blissful ocean of thoughtless instinct and opened his eyes. Solaris was still there, and the mere sight of her tempted him to dive back under, but she held him at arm's length. "I have to go now."

"No, I… don't want… you to…"

"Aren't you sweet? Just let your head clear for a few minutes, and I'll see you soon, all right?" With one last kiss, she disappeared from the limited range of his dulled senses. As if emerging from a dream, Ed slowly remembered where he was… and why he was only in his underwear. The actual experience was fuzzy, and what little Ed could glean disgusted him so much he decided to suppress the whole damn thing.

"She was messing with you. It's not your fault; she practically drugged you." These words were of little comfort as he pulled on his clothes and ran a shaky hand through his loose hair. Up until tonight, (other than the two seconds Ginny had caught him off-guard) Winry had been the only girl to see him so… vulnerable. It was a privilege only _she_ was supposed to have, _his_ Winry. To whatever tamed degree, Lust had just taken his innocence, and he would _never_ forgive her for that.

Finally stepping out into the snowy night, Ed was relieved to see that everyone was gone. Lights from the front steps told him where Luna and her dad must be, giving him as good a chance as any to sneak inside the house unnoticed. Before he made his move, however, he pondered what Solaris had said before slipping away: _"I'll see you soon."_

"What the hell did she mean by 'I'll see you soon'?" he mused aloud.

"Took you long enough to come out," Selim called from his perch on the roof of the shed.

"Why the hell are you still here?"

"I'm supposed to make sure you survived Lust's little love tap. So, tell me _honestly_: how was it?"

"Amazing," Ed said, unable to lie because of the direct order. However, he immediately added on, "but, in my right mind, I'd never let her mess with me like that."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, Edward. You'll be able to test that theory of yours soon enough."

"Why? Is that what she meant by 'see you soon'?"

"You'll just have to wait and _see_ for yourself. Well, only one thing remains on my checklist for the night." The first Homunculus descended from the roof on a private elevator of shadow until he was exactly at Ed's eye level. "Just so you know, you are _absolutely_ _forbidden_ from telling _anyone_ _anything_ about what happened tonight. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes," Ed snarled, clenching his fists. Did they really think he wasn't able to keep a secret?

"Good. But, let's put that to the test, shall we? I wonder what will happen when your strange little friend finds you passed out in the snow." Before Ed could protest, Selim gave the order. "Go to sleep, Edward."

The effect was immediate, unstoppable. His knees gave way, and everything went black.

* * *

A/N: Are you still there? Did I scare you away? No? Whew…

Okay, the names Solaris and Selim come straight from canon material, as you probably know. I came up with Kateus and Lenost by sticking words like "jealousy" and "sloth" into Google Translate and playing around. I think I ended up with Finnish and Hungarian, or something along those lines.

If you watch me on deviantART, then you know that the ship of SolEd has already been sailing for almost three months. **BEFORE YOU PANIC**, EdWin still wins out in my heart… and the story. **This is not going to turn into a love story**; it's just my development of Lust and her, well, lust. She's showing Ed how much control she has over him now. It's not his fault (other than being a human being) *glares at Solaris* If you want an easy correlation to her souped-up abilities, just think of Jasper Cullen (yes, the blonde Confederate sparkle-fairy). Solaris's ability is very similar to his "mood-control thing", as Bella so 'eloquently' puts it.


	18. A New Year's Promise

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Yay! I didn't scare you away! Well, Ed has gotten himself into quite a pickle, hasn't he? Let's see what happens…

This is a shorter chapter. Gomen…

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**nekobaka99**: It's perfectly okay that you don't ship things, especially SolEd. I equally respect your abstaining from FMA pairings. Yeah… Solaris is creepy.

**marichan96**: Awwwwww… thank you so much. ^_^ Well, here's your next chance to review ;)

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**A New Year's Promise**

It was the reflected light from the snow outside that eventually coaxed him from sleep. He looked around to find he was back in the guest room, in his own bed. For one wonderful moment, he considered that it had all been a dream – that he _hadn't_ sold himself into slavery, but then-

"Ed?" Luna sat in a rocking chair by the head of the bed. In his brief pan of the room, he simply hadn't seen her. She had returned to her normal attire – if _anything_ about Luna could be thought of as normal – but her expression was troubled. "How do you feel? When Daddy and I found you, we were both really worried." She fought back a few tears. "I'm sorry, Ed. It was my idea that you come down to the party."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It was my decision." He sat up… only to realize he wasn't wearing anything. Quickly pulling the covers around himself, Ed asked, "Uh… why am I-"

"We had to get you out of those wet clothes or risk you getting sick."

"Oh… right." Suddenly, he remembered why he had passed out in the first place: Pride, the brand. He took a quick peek under the sheets, and, sure enough, there it was – the mark of the Ouroboros. Then, he looked at Luna, realizing that she must have seen it, too.

Luna's pale, large eyes bored into him as she asked the dangerous question. "Ed… what is that? That burn on your chest, it wasn't there in November. And that Homunculus in the Forest, it had the same symbol on its tongue, so why… why do you have it?"

"I… I…" He wanted to be honest with her, to get the whole thing out in the open, to trust her, but… he couldn't violate his orders. _What can I do?_ Ed glanced over to his trunk where lay his usual clothes… and his wand. A brilliant, horrible plan formulated in his mind. "Just give me a minute to get dressed, okay? I'll try to think of a way to explain."

She obligingly faced the opposite wall, and Ed moved quickly. Once he was covered, and had made sure she still wasn't looking, he grabbed the ash wand and pointed it at her. "_Obliviate_."

As soon as the spell hit her, Luna relaxed, as if released from a heavy burden. Sticking the weapon in his pocket and keeping his voice steady, Ed said, "Okay. You can look now."

She faced him with a warm smile. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I guess I just got light-headed last night and…" He mimicked a crash-landing, trying to make light of the ordeal. "I feel a lot better already." Thankfully, his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, so Luna traipsed downstairs to get him some breakfast. As soon as she was out of sight, Ed sank to his knees and buried his face in his cold hands. He had acted so emotionlessly, so _easily_. Self-loathing broiled inside of him, but it was almost immediately met by Father's voice.

_**Well done.**_

_So, this… this was some kind of sick test, after all. You wanted to see what I'd do, how I'd stay within my restrictions._

_**Exactly.**_

_You bastard!_

_**You should address me with more respect, boy**__._

_I hate you._

_**Slaves often hate their masters, and don't try to deny that you are a slave.**_

_Well, don't get used to it. I'll earn my freedom soon enough._

_**That's for me to decide, so maybe you're the one who needs to 'get used to it.'**_

Ed mentally hung up on the Homunculus and glanced out of the bright window. Against the swirling background of gray, white, and pale blue was a slowly growing black speck. As it approached, he realized it was an owl. _Meh, if it's important, I'll find out soon enough_.

Rather than waiting for Luna to return, Ed limped down the kitchen. When he entered, she was reading through a letter, no doubt the one that owl had just brought.

"Anything interesting?" Ed asked, suppressing his lingering guilt.

"It's from Ginny. Her family lives just over the hill, you know."

"Uh... actually, I didn't." Ed wasn't sure if he found this fortunate or problematic. Interacting with Luna was proving difficult enough; how could he possibly face Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny, knowing what he had done? "So… what's it say?"

Luna glanced at him before replying, "Oh, nothing much. Just correspondence from a friend, and all that."

Ed cocked an eyebrow. Was Luna _hiding_ something? Were she and Ginny, or maybe even the whole Weasley family, planning something in secret?

_Hey_, he inwardly smacked himself. _You're the _last_ person who needs to go around pointing fingers about who's keeping secrets._

After breakfast, Ed began to realize just how little energy he had. The prospect of the deal had driven him, and now that the contract had been made, he felt drained. Luna, astute as ever, noticed his weary expression and immediately sent him back upstairs to rest. A wise decision – he barely made onto the bed before exhaustion caught up to him.

* * *

Mist swirled around him, but he could make out shapes in his dim surroundings.

"Who's there?" he shouted.

Out of the shadowy fog stepped Envy, Pride, and Lust, each one fixing him with a triumphant sneer.

"You've done surprisingly well, Edward," Pride began.

"Yeah, even _I_ have to admit it, pipsqueak," echoed Envy.

Lust said nothing, but Ed avoided her gaze and turned red. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" the eldest Homunculus asked. "You've fulfilled your end of the deal; now, it's our turn to repay you."

_What?_ Ed puzzled. _Already?_ Still, he wasn't about to complain. Envy touched the insignia on the boy's chest, and Ed's right arm and left leg burned as the metal melted away, leaving human flesh in its stead. He stared at the scrawny limb as he flexed his fingers.

"And, for the _coup de grace_…" grinned Envy, indicating something behind Ed and leaving his sentence hanging. Before Ed could even turn, he heard the familiar voice.

"Brother?"

The blonde, emaciated boy Ed had seen four months ago stood before him, smiling with teary eyes. Forgetting everything else, Ed ran to his brother and wrapped him tightly in a warm hug. "Al… I did it, Al. You're safe."

"Thank you, Ed," Al sniffled, resting his head under the elder's chin. When at last Ed pulled back and gazed into the face that was so like his own, the younger Elric glanced down and frowned in confusion. "Brother, that mark…"

"Ignore it. It's not a problem anymore."

"Oh?" Pride put in, having soundlessly snuck up behind Ed. "What gave you that impression, Edward?"

Ed whirled on the Homunculus. "You said you'd give me my freedom."

"If you truly want it, yes."

"Of course I want it! Why the hell wouldn't I?"

Pride smirked with satisfaction, as if he had hoped the young alchemist would ask such a question. "Your brother… kill him."

Hands that had only moments ago sat idly on Al's shoulders darted to the thin neck, squeezing slowly. Ed watched in horror as his fingers tightened around Al's throat.

"E… Ed…" The boy's golden eyes pleaded with him, and Ed fought against the compelling force of the contract for all he was worth.

"Why are you dawdling?" Pride snarled. "Kill him… now!"

_SNAP!_ Ed's thumbs sharply pressed against Al's windpipe, crushing it completely. His air supply cut off, Al fell forward against his brother and moved no more.

"…Al?" the remaining Elric choked, holding the limp body in his arms. Grief threatened to overwhelm him, but rage got there first. "WHY?" he cried, glaring at Pride with an inhuman intensity of hatred. "WHY DID YOU MAKE ME KILL HIM? WHY, DAMMIT?"

"He would only have held you back," the eldest Homunculus replied with a deadly calm. "Don't look so self-righteous, Edward; you were a murderer long before you became our servant. Admit it – you're a monster just like us, and only _with_ us do you belong."

"You're… You're wrong! Dad will-"

"Will what? He's a mortal now, just like you wanted – no Philosopher's Stone. What can he do? Would he even accept you now, knowing that you'd killed your own brother?"

Ed screamed in distraught fury and charged at Pride, but the shadows that protected the arrogant Homunculus held him back. "I HATE YOU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, PRIDE! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE DEAD!"

"You hate me? Fine; let that anger churn inside you. All the better…" Pride motioned to Envy, who grinned and came forward, holding out a red glob of a familiar, semi-liquid substance.

"Consider this your ultimate reward, pipsqueak," he grinned. "You get to graduate from property to little brother. Isn't that nice?"

The Philosopher's Stone filled with Wrath's essence glowed, as if sensing Ed's seething heart, closer… closer… it was only a hair's breadth from the Ouroboros that already marked him as ripe for harvest…

Ed sat up, gasping and shaking. He had rolled onto the floor, and the force of the fall had woken him. For many minutes, he didn't move, curled up in terrified shock. Once his nerves calmed somewhat, Ed thought about what he had dreamt. It had been a while since he'd had a nightmare purely of his own making, and it had made up for its absence in potency. What was worse, the scenario he had envisioned was entirely possible. If given the order, he _would_ have no choice but to take his own brother's life. The Homunculi could use all the rewards they had dangled in front of him and turn them on him, break him with his own wishes.

"Dammit," he whispered. "I can't let that happen, no matter what hell they put me through."

He rolled onto his back and stared at the plain ceiling until he felt the lump in his back pocket made by his wand. Ed held up the stick, the once-white wood that was now saturated with blood. How ironic – it was just like him.

"Your moping is really starting to get to me, you know," groaned Horntail. "Just who was it who got himself in this situation?"

"I'm not moping," Ed muttered sulkily. "And I know full well that I'm the one who chose this. It's… it's what I have to do."

"Then pull yourself together, boy. I personally don't care much whose side you're on in this war as long as your determination is unwavering. But, I must admit, if you're working for these Homunculi now, then maybe I'll get more of a chance to use my power to its fullest, so all the better for me."

"That's a selfish point of view."

"And you're _not_ selfish? Why did you _really_ make that deal?"

"What do you mean 'really'? I did it for Al, so I could get his body back."

"So you say, but is it possible that you accepted their offer so you could be freed from your guilt, or even that you secretly want the kind of power they have?"

"I'm not power-hungry."

"Ah, but that's not true. You wanted the power to bring your mother back, to restore your and your brother's bodies, to undo the wrongs of other alchemists. Honestly, boy, if you weren't at least a _little_ power-hungry, I would never have chosen you as my wielder."

"You are one creepy wand."

"One tries."

Ed let the weapon slip out of his hand, and it clattered to the floor. In the wake of that sound, the young alchemist pondered Horntail's words more deeply. It had been right, after all. He did want power, and the search for that power had led him to this point.

"But… there's one detail you got wrong," he said aloud. "I don't want the power for myself. I want it for others' sakes. Yes, I want to fix my mistakes, but more than that… I want to make others' lives easier, better. I want to give more than I take. It's not Equivalent Exchange, it's something… more… and it's what separates me from the Homunculi… and you."

The wand said nothing in reply, but Ed could tell that his declaration had won him at least a _little_ of the dragon's respect, and that was enough for starters.

* * *

"Say, Ed?" Luna asked on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.

"Yeah?"

"Since you're feeling better today, why don't we… go for a walk?"

"Where to?"

Luna smiled a little mischievously at him. "How about you let me surprise you?"

Ed wasn't an idiot. Whatever she had been hiding for the past few days was about to come to fruition, and he had a pretty good idea as to what it was. _But_, he reminded himself, _you'll have to face them sooner or later, so maybe now is as good a time as any._

"Okay, then," he grinned. "I'll just get my coat."

The two trudged arm-in-arm through the ankle-deep snow until they reached the top of the nearest hill. From that viewpoint, Ed could see a tall house so crooked he figured it must be held up by magic.

"That's the Weasleys' house?" he asked.

"Yes. They call it 'The Burrow.' Isn't that a nice name?"

"Uh… yeah, sure."

"Oh, look. I think that's Ginny waving to us." Luna returned the greeting with her free arm and gently pulled Ed along with her as she started down the other side of the hill. By the time they reached the bottom, Fred and George had come outside as well.

"Hey there, Ed!" called one of the twins. "You look loads better."

The other nodded emphatically. "Yeah, not nearly as much like a blanched toothpick anymore, to be sure."

_A blanched toothpick?_ Had he really seemed so frail upon emerging from his coma?

"Well, come on inside, you two," Ginny smiled, offering the door to Ed and Luna. "Your dad said he'll come by later, Luna."

"Oh, good. He always loves celebrating New Year's. You know, there's a special breed of Crumple-Horned Snorkack that-"

Knowing where this conversation was headed, Ed slipped his arm out of Luna's and followed the twins into the house.

"I have to say, though, Ed," noted George with a more somber expression than usual, "you still look a bit peaky."

"Nothing Mum can't cure with a hearty meal," assured Fred, ruffling the small blonde's hair.

As soon as Ed entered the Burrow, a warm, comforting aura of homeyness enveloped him. He could instantly tell that this place was filled with happiness, with a nurturing love he hadn't sensed in a long time.

"So, when did you guess this was where Luna was taking you?" Fred asked, picking up on how calm Ed was.

"When she got the letter from Ginny."

"Blast," George chuckled, snapping his fingers jovially. "I had hoped we could be a little more subtle than that, but I guess there's no getting past your powers of observation."

"I guess… So, where are Harry, Ron, and Hermione?"

Fred shrugged his shoulders. "They decided to stay with Sirius for New Year's."

"Keep him company, you know," added George.

"Yeah, that makes sense." The trio passed the living room, and Ed stopped as his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. Deep in discussion with Mr. Weasley and Lupin was Hohenheim. Ed had lied so easily to his father's face the last time they had seen each other; would he be able to repeat such a performance? As if on cue, Hohenheim looked up.

"Edward," he smiled, rising from his armchair to welcome his son. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." He tried to balance his weight more evenly between his legs, but they still didn't quite line up. Ed might have been imagining it, but his automail leg felt shorter than its human companion. Hohenheim must have noticed something, too, because he promptly placed his hands on Ed's shoulders and steered the boy into the seat he'd just vacated. "Dad, what...?"

"You've grown some in the past few months; your leg needs some adjustment, I'd wager."

"Yeah, but Winry's in Amestris. There's no way I can call her to England, especially for a little thing like this. It's not a big deal, really."

"There's no need to fetch Miss Winry; we can handle it just as well."

Ed narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "But, you're not a mechanic."

Hohenheim smiled. "I may not be, but Arthur certainly has experience with this kind of thing."

"_What_ kind of thing?"

"Enchanting Muggle objects," beamed Mr. Weasley, crouching down by Ed's left leg. "It's a simple matter, Ed. Won't take two minutes."

The young alchemist still felt apprehensive, not only about how Winry would react upon finding out that someone else had touched her precious machinery, but also about Mr. Weasley's _"experience."_ Ron had told him detail about the flying car fiasco of their second year, and he'd rather his leg didn't tempt a similar fate. But, Hohenheim's nod of encouragement eventually wrenched approval out of him. "Okay."

Rolling up the pant leg a little, Mr. Weasley tapped Ed's metal shin with his wand. The blonde felt a tingle through the nerves connecting his brain to the prosthetic, after which he watched thunderstruck as the limb slowly grew to an equal length as his other leg. "Damn," he breathed, impressed on the whole.

"I can do your arm, too," offered Arthur. Ed nodded, and soon both of his automail limbs had been enchanted to keep up with his body.

"Thanks a ton, Mr. Weasley," he said, getting back to his now-even feet. After glancing around, he turned to his father. "So, is Al with you?"

"Yes. He wanted to help Molly in the kitchen, so you'll find him there. He'll be thrilled to see you." Before Ed departed in that direction, Hohenheim added, "Edward, I told him what happened… with Kimblee… and your coma."

"Oh…" He should have figured Hohenheim wouldn't be able to keep something like this secret from Al, even if the whole mess was over now. "Okay. Right. Good to know." With that, the small blonde slipped away, unable to make eye contact any longer. Ed tried to quiet his racing heart as he walked toward the Weasleys' kitchen. _Calm down. If you look flustered or worried, Al will know something's wrong. Get a grip already._ These thoughts brought him to his destination, but his plans for saving face hadn't anticipated finding Alphonse in an apron. Before Ed could stop himself, snorts of laughter spilled out of him, quickly bringing him to Al and Mrs. Weasley's attention.

"Brother!" Al cried delightedly, ignoring the fact that Ed was openly laughing at him. The hulking suit of armor set down the pan of freshly-baked bread he had been bearing and came toward his older brother with arms outstretched. Expecting to get a crushing hug, Ed involuntarily winced, but Al's embrace was surprisingly gentle.

"I've missed you so much, Ed! I'm really glad you're okay, after everything that happened to you."

"Yeah, I guess a lot _has_ happened, huh?"

"Are you still hurting anywhere?" Al took a good look at him, as if expecting an injury to be labeled in red ink.

"No, not really," replied Ed, chuckling at his little brother's over-the-top concern.

Then, Al suddenly gasped. "Wait a minute. Something's… _different_ about you."

Ed's insides twisted into sausage links. "Wh… what do you mean, Al?" He managed to keep his voice steady, but his mind was in a panic. _This is bad. How could he have noticed so easily? What am I gonna do? What if I have to alter Al's memory, too? I don't want to have to do that… but that is why I brought my wand with me._

The younger brother placed a flat hand lightly on the top of Ed's head and drew an invisible horizontal line to his chestplate. After double-checking the measurement, he cried, "Wow, Ed! You've gotten taller!"

Relief washed over him, followed quickly by his own excitement. "R… really?" Hohenheim had mentioned it, but Ed hadn't really taken it in then.

"Yeah! In September, you came up to about here," he said, indicating a lower height reference on his armor. "But, now… that's got to be four inches, at least!"

"Well, it's about damn time!" replied Ed, a smug grin creeping onto his face. "I always told you I wouldn't be short forever."

"So… you admit you're short?"

Ed turned a little red, but he curbed his temper. "Even if I am, it'll be a thing of the past soon enough. Just you wait: when I get your body back, we'll see who's taller."

Al giggled, untying the apron and slipping it over his head. "Yeah, I'm sure we will."

"Why do you say that like you think you'll win?"

"Oh, no reason… except that that's how it's been ever since you were six." Ed could have sworn Al was smirking behind that metal mask. Because his dignity demanded retaliation, the small blonde threw a playful punch at his brother, making the suit of armor resound like a gong.

"Boys," Mrs. Weasley sweetly put in, "if you're going to keep talking, do it out of the kitchen."

"Oh, yes ma'am," nodded Al, following his elder brother from the room.

Rather than return to the living room with Al in tow, Ed noticed a back door that led into a snow-covered garden and took it.

"Let's go out here," he suggested. "The crisp air feels good."

"Okay, sure."

The brothers sat side-by-side on a stone bench and stayed silent for a few minutes. Eventually, Al began to twiddle his thumbs, as if he had expected Ed to want to talk a lot. The elder Elric, however, much preferred to remain quiet, to just _be_ with his little brother. Talking presented the danger of saying the wrong thing, saying too much. Even though he was forbidden to give away his deal with the Homunculi explicitly, surely he could accidentally imply something or drop a hint. No, silence was much better.

"What are you thinking so much about?" Al asked suddenly, jolting Ed from his reverie. Trying to regain his composure, the small blonde shrugged.

"Oh, it… it wasn't anything in particular. I guess it's just that so much has happened since I saw you last that I don't know _what_ to talk about."

Al laughed softly. "That makes sense." He paused before continuing, as if momentarily debating with himself about whether he should speak or not, "Um… Ed? Wou-" but he was cut off mid-word when Ed stood, stretched, and faced his little brother with a gleaming grin.

"You know, Al, we haven't sparred in a while. I'm starting to feel flabby."

The younger Elric sat up a little straighter in surprise. "What? Now? But your injuries-"

"They'll be fine. Come on."

"But… but…"

Ed didn't wait for more protests. He had to keep Al from talking for as long as possible. His shrewd little brother had picked up on something already; he was sure of it. Shifting his weight onto his automail leg, Ed launched himself at Al, forcing his sparring partner to defend himself.

"Brother!" chided Al. "You haven't gotten enough of your strength back for this!"

But, Ed wasn't listening. He darted around an unprepared Alphonse, swinging in with a punch or a kick whenever he found an opening, which – in Al's present uncoordinated condition – was a lot. At last, Ed knocked a handful of snow up into Al's face, distracting him long enough for Ed to upset the suit of armor's balance and send him crashing down.

Ed stood tall as he proudly declared. "I beat you! First time I ever won."

Al crossed his arms as he lay in the snow. "It wasn't a fair fight."

"Don't give me that. A win's a win, and you know it." Feeling slightly breathless, Ed plopped down opposite to Al and rested his head against the cold blanket of crystal flakes.

After a long moment of silence, Al asked, "Ed?"

"Mm?"

"Would you… would you promise me something?"

Ed gulped quietly. _I guess I can't get away from talking now… but where is _this_ coming from?_ "Depends. What kind of something?"

"It… no, it's silly."

"No, really. Tell me what it is." The younger Elric's reluctance had grabbed the elder's attention and curiosity.

Al rolled over so that he could see his brother more easily. "I… I want you to promise me… promise that you'll never be afraid to tell me what's bothering you."

A painful lump was bulging in Ed's throat now. "What brings this up?"

"When I was at Grimmauld Place the other day, I couldn't help but remember our first night there, when you confessed that you were afraid I hated you."

"Oh…"

"And, in the letter you sent me, you… you admitted you were scared."

"Oh…"

"It means a lot to me that you can confide in me like that, Ed, and I don't want to lose that... _ever_. So… will you promise?"

Ed thought it over; after all, he didn't _want_ to have to lie outright. If he was going to make a promise, wording was key. Al had said, _"never be afraid to tell me what's bothering you."_ That was it. _I'm not afraid… right? It's that I can't say anything, not that I don't want to._ Then again, he pictured a situation where he was free to speak, and he still couldn't see himself mustering the courage to tell Al what he had done. Perhaps he was afraid after all. Ed weighed his options: if he refused to promise, that would look alarmingly suspicious, and Al would immediately know something was _very_ wrong. That inevitably left him little choice. He sat up and looked his little brother directly in the face. "Yeah. I promise."

Al held out his right hand, pinky extended. Chuckling, Ed wrapped his automail counterpart around the armored finger. "I promise," he repeated.

* * *

Ed's pleasant New Year's experience almost made up for his ghastly Christmas one… almost. On the last day of the holidays, Mr. Lovegood took Ed and Luna to King's Cross so they could ride the train back to Hogwarts. When the two Ravenclaws reached Platform 9 ¾, Ed found someone unexpected waiting for him.

"Psst," Al whispered from behind a column. "Brother, back here."

"Al!" Ed gaped, coming over to the spot where his sibling was hiding. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you off. Dad's already gone ahead with Ling; he thinks it's better for me to stay with the Order for now."

"Oh." _That could complicate things_, he mused. "Well, I guess that means we'll be a little closer to each other."

Al nodded emphatically. "Maybe even closer than you think."

Ed cocked an eyebrow. "What's with the cryptic hint?"

"I'll tell you when I get it all figured out," Al assured him. When the Hogwarts Express abruptly blew a loud whistle, the brothers gripped each other in a tight hug before Ed scampered off towards the train.

"Your little brother is so kind," Luna complimented once she and Ed were walking along the hallway of a passenger car.

"Yeah… he is," Ed smiled nostalgically. "To use a phrase out of context, he's my better half, I guess."

"He must love you very much."

"Yeah." Even though Luna's words warmed him, Ed couldn't ignore the guilt that was accumulating inside of him, weighing down his heart like a ball-and-chain. He _had_ lied to his brother on New Year's, and now he would have to keep lying to him. _It'll be worth it_, he told himself. _When I get Al's body back, and this is all over… I'll finally be able to tell him the truth, to explain it all. Seeing his face again, his smile… that'll be worth it, for sure._

The ride was uneventful, and Ed ended up dozing through most of it. Eventually, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station, and the students departed in a swarm.

"I don't see the others," Luna sighed.

"Didn't Ginny say they'd be coming back a different way?" Ed remembered. "The Knight Bus, I think she said."

"Oh, yes. That explains it. Oh, look, there's Neville." She waved to their friend, and he returned the greeting before being pushed along in the crowd. As Ed scanned the throng of witches and wizards for his fellow Ravenclaws, his gaze landed on something that grabbed his attention: a tall, bulky Hufflepuff with lanky black hair. He seemed… familiar, somehow. Just then, a pack of Slytherins brushed past.

"Oh, I see you're still alive, Smallric," Malfoy drawled. "Pity, I'd bet ten Galleons that you were going to kick the bucket."

"'Smallric?'" cackled another Slytherin at the back of the bunch. "That is priceless! I'm definitely going to use that one from now on."

Before Ed could even process whose voice he had just heard, the owner of it walked right next to him and hissed in his ear, "Hey there, pipsqueak. Don't freak out, okay?"

Forced to remain outwardly calm, Ed turned just in time to catch a glimpse of Kateus's green head. His mind began working at a furious pace. _If Envy's slipped into Slytherin, then that Hufflepuff… could that have been Sloth?_ Ed craned his neck in search of the other two Homunculi, but with no luck. Accepting that he'd run into them sooner or later, the small blonde did his best to push this turn of events out of his mind. He and Luna deposited their luggage at the front steps with everyone else's and proceeded into the Great Hall for a dinner well worth waiting for. Ed kept a close watch on Kateus during the whole meal; the Homunculus had quickly gotten chummy with Malfoy. _Is it possible that Malfoy knows what he is?_ Ed wondered. _He is the son of a Death Eater, after all. If Voldemort knows about this infiltration, then it would make sense that his followers would, too._

After supper was safely in his stomach, Ed followed his housemates up to Ravenclaw Tower. He stepped into the Common Room, looking forward to a long night's sleep, free from worrying about Homunculi, or Death Eaters, or anything.

"Ed!"

Someone had squealed upon spotting him, and Ed's ears perked up. _That… sounded like a girl's voice. No… oh, God, please, no._

Just as he whirled in the direction of the call, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, and warm lips met his. As soon as she touched him, he felt… better, calmer. After a long embrace, she pulled away enough for them to see each other clearly. She really had thrown herself into the role of charming schoolgirl, whether through her subtler choices in lipstick, the headband peeking out from her dark curls, or her innocent expression.

"Welcome back," purred Solaris. "Have you missed me?"

* * *

A/N: Fluff, angst, fluffy angst, angsty fluff… what's wrong with me? *facepalm*

That dream sequence… man…

I pulled in some lines from Episode 9 of _Brotherhood_ for Ed and Al's sparring match.

**EDIT**: A reviewer pointed out to me that something needed to be done about Ed's leg while he's growing, so I added that in.


	19. Rising Stakes

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: *impersonating J. Michael Tatum's France voice* Le gasp! Ze 'Omunculi ar et 'Ogu-wartzu! Sacre vache!

I'm pretty loaded with school right now, so I can't guarantee that my updates will be as frequent as they have been. BUT FEAR NOT! I will not give up my fanfiction-writing, NO MATTER WHAT!

**EDIT**: I slightly changed Pride's order at the end of Chapter 17 so that a development in this chapter is more plausible.

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**artisticfantasy**: I'm an EdWin fan, too, and my headcanon of Ed's character includes waiting for the wedding night; it just fits with his noble heart. I'm so glad I didn't scare you away ^_^ Yeah, don't worry; I don't explicitly describe sexual content. That Christmas scene was the worst of it.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**Rising Stakes**

"What the hell are you doing here?" The question escaped Ed in a low hiss, only to be met by a teasing smile from Solaris.

"Don't you remember?" she asked as her violet eyes danced back and forth between his golden ones. "I told you Christmas was the beginning of a larger infiltration of the Wizarding World. Hogwarts is where Voldemort's greatest enemies are, so… here we are, keeping tabs for both his sake and ours." She stood on tiptoe so she could whisper into his ear. "Besides, I wouldn't dream of giving up another chance to see you, my Fullmetal boy."

"I'm not _your_ Fullmetal boy," Ed tsked resentfully.

"Oi!" called Terry from across the Common Room. "You two lovebirds could go find a room, you know."

Ed's face turned Gryffindor red, and he rounded on Solaris. "'Lovebirds?'" he enunciated in a dangerously low voice.

"Just play along," she commanded quietly, "but act natural."

"Those two orders seem contradictory," Ed whispered in reply, but he relaxed all the same.

"Oh, Terry, you're such a tease." Solaris winked at Ed's dormmate, making the Scot blush. She led Ed by the hand over to where Terry, Michael, Anthony, and Kevin sat. "Just because we're going out together doesn't mean we plan on doing indecent things all over the Common Room."

_Just what kinds of ideas were bundled into that Memory Charm?_ Ed demanded, hoping that Father would clue him in. No reply. _Damn you!_ Thinking on his feet, Ed asked, "How long has it been, Solaris? Since…" He didn't yet feel ready to say "we" in the context of pairing himself with this vixen.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten, Ed," Solaris giggled. "It was near the beginning of first term this year."

"Oh… right." _Damn you, Lust. You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you?_

The violet eyes seemed to reply, _"Immensely."_ Noticing an unoccupied armchair, Solaris changed the subject. "You should sit down; you're still not back to full strength yet."

"Don't baby me," Ed grumbled as he flumped into the seat. He was about to cross his legs when Solaris suddenly nestled herself in his lap and tucked her head under his chin.

"I'm still amazed you caught her eye, Ed," Anthony scoffed. "Out of all the eligible young men in the school-"

"Oh, but Edward isn't like any other eligible young man in the school," Solaris cut in as she gazed in simpering rapture at her reluctant boyfriend.

Ed glanced at his friends and shrugged helplessly, as if to say,_ "Don't look at me. She started it."_ Of the four, Michael seemed to catch onto this the most clearly, and his visible eyebrow traveled up his forehead by a fraction of an inch. Ed's heart plummeted as he realized a new and cruel reality. Because of this damn Memory Charm and this damn contract, he was suddenly cut off from all of the other humans. He recalled Pride's words from his nightmare: _"You're a monster just like us, and only with us do you belong."_ Was that true, now that he had no one he could turn to, no one to trust? Al's wish came to the forefront of his mind: _"It means a lot to me that you can confide in me like that, Ed, and I don't want to lose that... ever."_

"What are you thinking about?" Solaris purred as she nuzzled against his neck.

"Nothing much," he replied, doing what little he could to edge away from her. Noticing that his dormmates had also seen his vacant expression, he quickly came up with an excuse, "I only just realized how much homework I'll have to make up for, having been in that coma and all."

"Blimey, Ed," Terry laughed. "You nearly get yourself killed, and you're worried about homework?"

"Well, excuse me for being a diligent student," Ed teased, managing a feeble laugh.

"Oh, Ed, you need to relax more," Solaris giggled.

_You say that, but how the hell am I supposed to relax when you're sitting in my lap_? Ed mentally grumbled.

It might possibly have been the most awkward evening of his life. Solaris kept making simpering faces at him, which hardly helped him keep his calm. At long last, Michael suggested they call it a night. For one terrible moment, Ed feared that Solaris would insist he hang back for some "private time," but she obligingly climbed off of him and skipped toward the girls' dormitories, half-singing, "See you in the morning, Ed."

_That… is truly disgusting,_ Ed thought bitterly. _It almost makes me nostalgic for Lust in her normal personality. Almost._

* * *

The next morning, Ed snuck out his dorm window rather than chance bumping into Solaris in the Common Room. If he had to spend one more minute around her, he feared he would lose his appetite for the next several years. This evasive tactic proved successful, and Ed was soon shoving breakfast into his mouth with all his regular vigor. Just as he finished inhaling a cinnamon roll, the short blonde noticed that an owl had landed in front of him, holding a small card in its beak. The bird looked familiar, but Ed was too busy swallowing another three mouthfuls of toast. At last, he accepted the card and unfolded it. The message it contained marked a new record in brevity.

_Come to the Shrieking Shack._

_Al_

Ed stared at the note for much longer than was needed, hardly believing his eyes. Why would Al want him to go to the Shrieking Shack? No, not _"go." "Come."_ Al had written, _"come,"_ which implied…

The young alchemist hastily finished his meal and bolted for the courtyard, checking several times to make sure none of the Homunculi had spotted him. Thankfully, no one was in the vicinity of the Whomping Willow when he reached it, allowing him to duck into the secret passageway immediately. After several minutes of walking in the dark, he reached the end of the underground tunnel and emerged in the Shrieking Shack's living room. There, as he had predicted, was Al.

"Hi," the younger Elric said simply, waving a casual hand.

Ed let out a hearty laugh. "What are you doing here, Al?"

"This is what I was talking about at the station. I got approval from the Order to stake out this area in case more Homunculi try to get near Hogwarts."

Ed felt a lump form in his throat. "Oh. That's good thinking."

"But, more importantly, I wanted to be close by… in case you needed me."

The elder Elric smiled gratefully at his little brother. "Thanks, Al. I really appreciate that."

"Do you have anything going on today, or…?"

"No. No, I don't, so why don't we… catch up some more? I want to hear about what you've been doing."

"Okay, sure," Al beamed. "And then you can tell me more about what you were up to this fall, other than everything that happened with Kimblee, I mean."

In an effort to avoid the subject, Ed waved a hand and joked, "There's been enough talk about me, Al. It's your turn to get the spotlight."

So, Alphonse explained how he and Hohenheim (and Ling, once he'd turned up) had set up an alkahestry-based transmutation circle strengthened by protective spells that would prevent the Homunculi from returning to Amestris. "That way, they can't run back to the relative safety of the Alchemical World when they end up in a pinch."

"Whoa," breathed Ed, impressed by Hohenheim's ability to use alchemy and magic in tandem (he'd have to ask his old man about that sometime). "But, tell me again what exactly alkahestry is. I forgot…"

This led to a recounting of Al's second encounter with May Chang. She had done her best to teach Alphonse the Xingese branch of alchemy, but Al still hadn't quite gotten a handle on it yet. "Ah, well," he sighed. "Maybe it'll be easier for me to sense this 'dragon's pulse' thing once I'm back in my real body. What do you think, Ed?"

"That definitely sounds like a possibility," the older brother agreed. It was so nice to be able to listen to Al talk, without the pressure of contributing much to the conversation; it genuinely relaxed him.

Unfortunately, when Ed finally had to take his leave in order to return to the castle before dark, he found an unpleasant surprise waiting for him: Selim.

"You slipped off somewhere," the younger boy said calmly. Ed had quickly figured out that the eldest Homunculus had been stationed in Gryffindor; if the purpose of this ruse was to gather as much information as possible, then it made sense for one Mulus to be in each house. Plus, Selim would be best suited to watch Harry in a covert, tactful manner. "Solaris was nearly pulling out her hair for losing track of you so quickly," the first Homunculus added.

"Well, that's stupid of her, but considering who we're talking about, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised."

Selim narrowed his purple eyes, and the curve of his frown steepened harshly. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"I'm giving you a chance to tell me where you went of your own free will."

"Oh, really? How considerate of you."

A vein stood out on the smaller boy's forehead. "More cheek, as usual. Fine, then. Tell me where you went, and don't even think about finding a loophole in that order."

Ed sighed. "I went to see Al, okay?"

"Oh? So, he's here, then?"

"In the area, yeah."

"Well, that works out in everyone's favor, doesn't it? You can see your little brother, and we can keep an eye on him as well. Everyone can be happy."

"Please don't try to sound optimistic. It doesn't suit you."

"Fair enough." Noting Ed's bitterly sullen expression, Selim changed subject. "You don't have to look so miserable, you know. Our presence here shouldn't alter your daily routine."

Ed raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"The key of this operation is subtlety. If we bossed you around 24/7, someone would notice. As much fun as we could have ordering you to lick our boots, even Kateus knows we have to… refrain from abusing our ownership of you."

"Did anyone bother to pass that golden nugget on to Solaris? I'd say she abused me."

Selim smirked. "But that wasn't suspicious. You _are_ a teenage boy, after all."

"You dirty little bastard."

The eldest Homunculus took this insult in his stride. "The best way you can obey us right now is by being your normal, annoying self, got it?"

"Noted." Ed actually smiled genuinely this time as he continued on his walk back to the castle. Selim had no idea what he'd just given Ed permission to do.

* * *

Fred and George had set up shop in an unused prefect's bathroom on the sixth floor, so Ed knew exactly where to look for them. They had told him the password for getting in at the start of the year, but he had never bothered to come by.

"Ed!" the twins cried joyously as he stepped inside. They immediately shepherded him around the room, showing off their wares: Skiving Snackboxes, Extendable Ears – the works.

"Impressive," Ed summarized. "Listen, guys, I have… a proposition for you two. An opportunity to cause some mischief."

"Do tell," George grinned.

"We're all ears," Fred affirmed.

"What do you know about the Muluses?"

"Not much," one shrugged.

"They exist," said the other.

"Do you know which one is Kateus?"

"Of course," the twins said as one. "How could we not? He looks like a pineapple."

Ed snorted. "That's what I said the first time I saw him, too. Anyway, he's one of those adamant Pureblood elitists, right up there with Malfoy."

"Is he now?" frowned Fred, crossing his arms.

"Freddy, I think I know where this is leading," said George, stroking his chin.

Ed would have continued, but Fred suddenly cut in, "But, Ed… wouldn't pulling a prank on this Kateus be a problem for you? I mean… what with his sister and all…"

"Huh?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," George tsked regretfully. "Playing a practical joke on her brother would probably put a rift between you and your pretty girlfriend, wouldn't it?"

"She's not my-"

"Oh, come off it," Fred teased. "You can't try to claim _that_ one, Ed."

"Yeah, you two have done far too much snogging to get away with _not_ being an item."

Ed cursed under his breath; he was seriously going to have to ask Solaris _exactly_ what memories had been implanted in all of his friends' minds. Still, he wasn't just going to take it without clarifying his position. "Okay, _she_ will definitely call herself my girlfriend, but I would much rather call her an unfortunate acquaintance."

"Oh…" the twins realized in unison.

"She's utterly infatuated with you…" opened the first.

"And you don't have the heart to tell her to get lost," closed the second.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ed groaned. It wasn't _entirely_ correct, but it was close enough.

"A gentleman 'til the end," sighed Fred, as if delivering a eulogy at his small friend's wake.

"Such a noble spirit," George sympathized.

"Okay, okay," Ed insisted, cutting them off before they got _too_ carried away. "The point is, I don't care if she dumps me over this. All the better."

"Plus," he added, "she knows full well what a prick Kateus is, so she might not even react at all."

"Splendid," George smiled. "That solves _that_ problem."

"So," said Fred in his best conspiratorial tone, "what did you have in mind?"

* * *

As if adjusting to the Homunculi's presence wasn't hard enough, Ed still had to deal with his arch-nemesis, the ever-sickening Dolores Umbridge. On the first Monday morning of spring term (the same day on which Ed and the twins had decided to implement their mischievous plan), the toady professor approached Ed's desk near the back of the classroom with possibly the most nauseating smile he'd seen on her face yet.

"Well, Mr. Elric, it's been quite some time since you joined us for class, hasn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ed replied without emotion.

"If you wish to salvage your grades, you'll have to work _extra_ hard, won't you?"

"But, Professor!" Kevin piped up. "That's not fair! Ed was badly hurt; he shouldn't have to-" but one stern look from Umbridge silenced him.

"I understand, ma'am," Ed said calmly, even though he was clenching his automail fist under the desk. Solaris, who had insisted on sitting by him, smiled at Umbridge with large, pleading eyes, as if she could silently force the professor to relent. The human toad met the girl's gaze with skepticism and ever-so-slight mockery. Ed was sorely tempted to let the two have at it in a full-out duel. His only deliberation was choosing which one he would rather have win. Being shot of both of them would be ideal; maybe they could simultaneously land fatal blows or something… yeah, that sounded wonderful.

"Psst. You're daydreaming, silly," Solaris whispered in his ear once the professor had returned to the front of the room. While Umbridge's attention was elsewhere, Solaris snuck a swift kiss on Ed's cheek before settling her head on his left shoulder. Ed shuddered at her touch and cursed inwardly; it seemed even brief contact was enough for her to mess with him. _Okay_, he decided. _If I absolutely had to pick between which one would survive, I'd have to go with Umbridge. At least I don't have to obey her_.

As the rest of the class period dragged on, all Ed could think about was the plan he had made with Fred and George. Imagining the look on Kateus's face… Ed could hardly wait to see the real thing.

There was only one major problem: Solaris. She had made it perfectly clear that she intended to follow Ed just about _everywhere_. He'd already had to stop her from tagging along into the boys' bathroom; she wouldn't just let him meander off for no reason. That left Ed with one option: come up with a way to lead her down to the dungeons. The Slytherins would be having their double Potions section, and during that would be the moment of Kateus's (and Malfoy's) humiliation. After coming up with the whole idea, Ed was not about to miss out on the results.

Even so, he was screaming at himself for his idea for luring Solaris down there. It was the only thing that would capture her attention so completely that she wouldn't suspect he was plotting something... but he would rather chug down an entire gallon of milk (_that_ seemed a far less disgusting option).

Thankfully, during this portion of day, the Common Room was deserted because everyone was in class. He and Solaris were _quite_ alone. As he waited for the right time, Ed completed a considerable portion of the homework he was having to catch up on; he was rather impressed that he had been able to concentrate with the female Homunculus constantly watching him. At last, he checked a clock and decided it was time to make his move. He raised his arms above his head and stretched gratefully.

"Finished?" Solaris asked curiously.

"For now." As he lowered his arms, his left hand came to rest on her shoulder. That got her attention. To seem more in-character, Ed pretended that this had been a mistake and hastily withdrew his arm.

"Why so nervous?" teased Solaris.

"Why do you think?" Ed retorted, letting his cheeks flush. Solaris only giggled at his embarrassment and leaned closer.

"Oh, come on… We can take it slowly."

"Uh… I, uh…" Ed stuttered.

"You're a scientist, after all. You like to experiment with a little risk, don't you – a little danger?" She had cornered him against the arm of a couch by now. Ed's eyes darted around wildly, looking for a possible exit strategy; maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. She kissed the tip of his nose, and a pleasant warmth spread throughout him. _No! Keep your head!_ This was _not_ going to turn into a repeat of Christmas night; he had to divert her before she went further.

"T… that is true," he said in a softer voice, smiling feebly. He glanced around once more before whispering in a pleading manner, "Just don't tell anyone I went along with it. I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

Solaris winked at him, smirking in her apparent victory. "My lips are sealed, my Fullmetal boy."

As she moved in, Ed slipped out from under her and took her hand in his right. "Only, not here. Someone might come in and see us."

The female Homunculus raised an eyebrow, but she submitted to his lead. Within minutes, they had reached the dungeons. Just as they passed the Potions classroom, Solaris tugged on Ed's arm, bringing their progress to a halt.

"What?"

"Surely this is far enough," she intoned, taking advantage of his pause by stepping close and draping her arms over his shoulders, interlocking her fingers behind his head. _Damn_. He was trapped now. If he ducked out, she would realize he was just dodging her, but if he didn't… Before he could think of a third option, Solaris was kissing him. She backed him against a wall a little ways down the corridor, so insistently that Ed's back groaned in protest when it encountered the rough stone. Even though that primal part of his heart urged him to give in, he fought to remain conscious of his surroundings. Solaris's back was to the Potions classroom, giving Ed a front-row seat. If he could just… Swallowing his pride and praying Winry wouldn't kill him later, Ed pressed into the kiss just enough to peel the back of his head off of the wall. Once he was no longer sandwiched, he was able to separate his lips from hers. Before she could come in for another attack, Ed brushed her long dark hair away from her neck and rested his cheek against the pale skin. This much direct contact was a risk, but at least he didn't have to look at her now, and his view of the classroom was even better. Solaris tried to brush him off so she could reach his face again, and Ed reacted on a whim… or, maybe, on instinct. He slid his hands around her waist and up her back to her shoulder blades, holding her in place.

"You said we could take it slowly," he reminded her. "Right now, _this_… this is enough." His words seemed to satisfy her as she relaxed. As long as she didn't try anything else, he could take it. Surely it was almost time by now; Fred and George had rigged it to go off when Kateus and Malfoy would empty their cauldrons at the end of class. How much longer would it be?

Just as Ed was starting to get distracted by the steady rhythm of Solaris's pulse, he heard telltale noises of shock come from the Potions classroom. He might even have caught a familiar "_What the hell_?" from his primary target.

"What was that?" Solaris asked, starting to turn toward the racket.

"I'm sure it's nothing," said Ed at once, pulling her attention back to him by kissing her cheek. He had to keep her here; otherwise, no one would be able to stop Kateus from pounding him into a pulp. Responding to his encouragement in full force, Solaris faced him and grasped the back of his head with both hands. Just as their lips met, the wooden door of the Potions classroom slammed open, rattling on its hinges from the sheer force with which it had been opened. Ed was sure he knew who was at the forefront of the small crowd of students pouring out of the room, but he realized he had overestimated his endurance against Solaris's advances as he started to lose clarity of thought. Only a furious yell brought him back to earth.

"EDWARD! YOU'RE DEAD, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

Solaris whirled on her brother just before he roughly shoved her out of the way. Kateus rammed his forearm against Ed's throat right under his chin, lifting the small blonde half a foot off the ground with the pressure. Now that his head wasn't muddled, Ed could finally see the results of his work. Kateus was covered in thick, dripping, sticky mud that carried the metallic odor of blood. Out of the corner of his eye, Ed noticed Malfoy in a similar state. The young alchemist unashamedly grinned at his indirect victims.

"Makes sense, right?" he chuckled as Kateus's arm started impairing his airflow. "Mud… blood…"

"Ed!" Was that Harry's voice? Ed's distant field of vision was blurring from lack of oxygen, but he could see the familiar three heads of his comrades: black, red, and brown.

"Kateus!" Solaris snapped once she had regained her balance. "Stop it! All that's hurt is your pride; leave him alone!"

"Just because you're obsessed with this runt does not mean I'm gonna put up with his gall! He's practically begging for me to whale on him!"

"Yeah! Give that little snot what's coming to him, Kateus!" Malfoy catcalled. Solaris glared at the filthy Slytherin, and he wilted under her cold, deadly gaze. _Now_ Ed was certain beyond a doubt that Malfoy knew the Muluses' true identities – hardly helpful to the situation. Solaris placed what looked like a calming hand on her brother's shoulder, but from his close angle Ed could see she was digging her Ultimate Spears through his robes into his skin.

"Piss off," Kateus spat. When she continued to pierce him, he added, "Okay, I won't _really_ kill him, just _mostly_."

"Put… him… down." Ed had never heard Lust speak in such a threatening manner before, even taking into account how she'd acted at Christmas.

After a long moment so tense that Ed could feel it weigh him down like a heavy blanket, Kateus relaxed his chokehold on the small blonde. He fixed Ed with violet eyes full of hatred and hissed, "This isn't over, Smallric. I'm going to make you pay for this." He then shrugged off Solaris's hand and stormed down the hallway toward the Slytherin Common Room, pulling Malfoy along with him. Just before they passed out of sight, the latter disposed of the "mud-blood" with a Scouring Charm.

The other students shuffled off to their next classes, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited until Ed gave them a reassuring nod before following. When he and Solaris were alone once more, she finally looked at him with something resembling disappointment. Before he could ask what her problem was, she slapped him with so much strength that he landed hard on his butt.

"You stupid boy! Do you _want_ him to kill you?"

Rubbing his cheek, Ed threw the female Homunculus a sour look. "I knew he wouldn't. He couldn't, not with you around."

Unfortunately, his bluntness brought a new emotion to her face: she looked pained, genuinely hurt. "You… used me?"

Ed was on his feet in an instant, temper broiling. "As if you're one to talk!"

"Keep your voice down," Solaris commanded, still looking wounded. For one horrible moment, Ed was afraid she was going to cry.

"All I'm saying is you set the pattern," he finally muttered. Remembering what Kateus had said before, Ed then asked, "Um… are you really… _obsessed_ with me?"

"Kateus never _has_ possessed a broad enough vocabulary to capture emotional nuances." She took a steadying breath. "It's like I told your friend Terry… you really aren't like any other young man." Grabbing fistfuls of his sweater, she locked eyes with him. "Please, just promise me you won't try something like this again."

"Is that an order?"

"Must requests always be orders?"

"Well, that's all I'm good for, right? I'm just property that exists to obey your orders. That's what _you_ said, isn't it?"

Again, she looked hurt, and Ed mentally cursed. Why was she getting into this _character_ of Solaris Mulus so deeply? She was _Lust_, the merciless, backstabbing embodiment of primal desire, so why – in that moment – did she seem so frighteningly human?

"Don't do it again," she said at last in a forcedly calm voice. Ed nodded submissively, waiting for… he didn't know what. Further orders? Another slap? A kiss? An emotional breakdown?

"Elric." Snape's oily voice echoed along the stone passage. "A word."

"Of course, sir," Ed replied at once. Whispering to a disheartened Solaris, he suggested, "Look, could you please go back to the Common Room? I'll come straight up once I'm done here."

To his surprise, a playful smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Is that an order?"

"I thought I wasn't supposed to give you orders."

She smiled with more of her usual air. "That's right. You're learning." With that confusing conclusion, she left.

Ed approached Snape, unsure what to expect, but the Potions Master didn't leave him guessing for long. "I assume, then, that you were… the source of that incident."

"Yes, sir."

Snape briefly rolled his eyes as if to say, _"Still as immature as ever."_ He then checked to make sure no one else was in the area before continuing. "But, Elric, there was actually a matter… I wished to discuss with you. Inside." He motioned to the deserted classroom, and Ed followed his lead. Once Snape had closed the door, he whirled on Ed with a notably somber expression, even for Snape. "What's happened?"

"Sir?"

"Don't play ignorant with me, Elric; I've seen _far_ too much of your mind… for that to do you much good."

Ed gulped; did that mean Snape had known about the DA this whole time? _Is that what this is about? _No, Snape seemed to be implying something much more serious and dangerous… but what was it? And then, Ed realized something… something liberating. Had a skilled Occlumens like Snape sensed the change since Christmas, the strangeness of the Muluses' presence? If Snape could see through his defenses no matter what, then maybe… just maybe…

Ed dropped all his mental barriers, focusing instead as hard as he could on the memories of his deal with the Homunculi. He knew it was crazy, but the longing for someone on his side to know what he was really going through poured out of him. Despite this inner turmoil, his outer expression barely changed. All he did was make sure he was looking Snape _directly_ in the eyes. _Come on_, he begged. _Read my mind. See it. I'm showing it to you._

It felt like an eternity, but finally, horrified comprehension showed in Snape's features. Without a word, his gaze flitted to Ed's chest, where the mark of the Ouroboros was concealed under layers of clothing. Understanding, Ed unbuttoned his sweater and shirt so that Snape could see the brand. The Potions Master let out a disgruntled sigh, furrowed his brow, and rose to his full height.

"Do you… have _any_ idea… what you've done?" His tone was low, but the energy behind it was terrifying.

"Yes, sir, I do. But, it was my decision to make." Before Snape could chide him further, Ed pressed on, "I guess my human nature got the better of me. We're willing to do anything… to protect the people we care about, the people we love."

Snape hesitated with his mouth slightly open. Ed could have sworn he paled, but there was so little color in the professor's face to begin with that it was hard to tell. It was as if Ed's words had reminded him of something, some secret he would take to his grave. After a long pause, Snape said, "I see." He sighed again. "What do you expect me to do with this information?"

"Well, I'd _expect_ you to tell Dumbledore about it immediately, but-" A sharp pain cut him off. In an instant, he had sunk to his knees, clutching his head. He had been found out.

_**WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?**_ Father's voice had never been so loud in his mind before. The sheer force of it made him want to scream. It was so intense that he couldn't even form coherent thoughts, let alone words to tell Snape what was happening. Thankfully, the Potions Master understood without any explanation, but he was unable to intervene without risking further harm. Ed clawed at his skull until he raised blood, gritting his teeth together with such force that he felt like his entire jaw might shatter.

_**DID YOU REALLY THINK I WASN'T WATCHING? THAT YOU COULD JUST GET AWAY WITH REVEALING YOURSELF?**_

…_n…no, I-_

_**SILENCE! I HAD EXPECTED BETTER OF YOU, SON OF HOHENHEIM. IT SEEMS I WAS MISTAKEN. THIS REBELLION WILL NOT GO WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES. WHAT YOU ARE FEELING NOW IS ONLY A TASTE! SINCE YOU ARE SO DETERMINED TO MAKE YOUR TIME IN MY SERVICE A LIVING HELL FOR YOURSELF, I WILL ENSURE THAT IT IS.**_

It was like nails were being driven into his brain. He desperately reached out for something, anything that could anchor him to the physical world, to sanity. A warm hand met his searching fingers, and he clutched it, holding on as if for his very life.

And then, it was over. The pain faded, and Ed relaxed his grip on Snape's hand. When the small blonde could finally manage words, he panted, "P… please… don't… don't tell… not yet…"

"As you wish," Snape said coolly. "It is your secret to tell, not mine." As the Potions Master helped the young alchemist back to his feet, he added, "But… if they force you to fight the Order, it would be far more dangerous for me to remain silent than… otherwise."

"Fair enough," Ed acknowledged. "If that does happen, then, by all means, tell Dumbledore. But… I'd appreciate it if this development didn't reach _certain ears_."

"You mean your father and brother, in addition to Potter and his friends, for that matter."

Ed's gaze dropped to his boots, but he nodded solemnly.

"Very well," Snape agreed.

* * *

Ed went through the rest of that day in a sort of daze, as if his mind had decided to shut down after Father's psychic barrage. He vaguely registered attending his classes, but the details became lost to him. Solaris kept an especially close eye on him; no doubt she had quickly learned what he had let Snape find out, and was thus more determined than ever to keep a tight leash on her human pet (not that Ed would ever have admitted to being her pet). Finally, he crawled into his four-poster, mentally sore and exhausted, and collapsed into instantaneous sleep, a sleep so deep and peaceful that surely nothing could distur-

"Edward."

"Nnngh…."

"Edward, can you hear me?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

"Then listen closely."

That voice; he knew that silky, yet cold voice. "S… Solaris?" he croaked feebly. What was she doing on his bed, in his dorm, at this hour of the night?

The female Homunculus placed a silent finger to her lips as her other hand covered his mouth. She bent over him so that her cheek brushed his as she breathed in his ear, "There's an important job we need to do, and you're coming, too. Go back to sleep, and I'll fill you in when you wake up."

_Dammit,_ Ed groaned as the light faded from his mind once again. _Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this one bit?_

* * *

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Gaaagh, just the thought of the next chapter is giving me goosebumps. If you watch me on deviantART, you probably know what's coming. ;)

I swear, I'm not making my take on Lust like 2003!FMA Lust, but – **BUT** – I'm trying to give her the same depth as Envy and Greed in that their sins are double-edged swords. Envy is secretly jealous of humans, and Greed secretly longs for friendships over possessions. So, in the same way, I think it's fitting for Lust to secretly want more than her namesake, to want genuine love. Ed just happens to be her projected source of such love, so when he doesn't deliver, she gets upset. Make sense? She's practically setting herself up for disappointment.

Ha ha! Snape's the first to know! *dances* I couldn't resist having Ed make an unintentional reference to Snape telling Dumbledore he'd do anything to save Lily. The feels… T.T

_NiS_ has opened up a new possibility to me, so I'll ask you: Would you like to see a HP/FMA crossover where Snape raises Ed? I know I would, so I might have to write one after I finish _NiS_. It would only encompass the first book (what with the Philosopher's Stone and all) and have very little FMA material next to _NiS_. I've already formulated the basic plot… *evil grin*


	20. Assault on Azkaban

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MYSELF! Hee hee… sadism awaits…

I know in the book, this event in the OTP storyline takes place a day or two earlier, but it's not that big of a deal to me. I don't think Voldemort would be too put out by it, since he doesn't even have to get his hands dirty.

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Guest**: Yay! The motion is seconded! It would bring out a nicer side of Snape than we're used to, but one he'd only show around Ed. Yep! Paternal!Severus is official! *skips off to plan for the new fanfic*

**artisticfantasy**: I'm glad you felt sympathy for her, and I've got no problem with you otherwise hating her. You're completely right that her pain is her fault. *blush* Thanks for the compliment about character development. I wish you well on your own novel-writing.

**marichan96**: It's okay; _I'm_ not sure if _I _should feel sorry for her or not. She's such a leech. Yay! The new fic is liked! *dances*

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**Assault on Azkaban**

He felt hot and nasty all over, as if he was bubbling under his skin. Then, something slammed him in the chest, crackling with energy, and for an instant, he could hear distant screams. When, at last, all of these sensations subsided, the dark silence stretched on, until…

"Edward? You can wake up now."

His eyelids shot open, and instantly, his left eye burned with sensitivity to the open air. He shut it again and clamped a protective hand over it.

"You had better have done this correctly," he heard Lust say to a third person in the room. "I much preferred him the way he was; if he can't change back, I'll be very displeased, Envy."

"Well, excuse me for having to come up with an option on short notice. You should just be glad the Death Eaters keep that Polyjuice Potion stuff around in good supply. And, blame Father for making him come as punishment for finding a way around our gag order. Look, I promise you, it'll work. Both the Potion and the bit of the Stone I siphoned off have limited resources. I even gauged it so they'll get used up at the same time. One, one-and-a-half hours at most, and then he'll be back to his blonde, human self."

He didn't process these words as they traveled from his ears to his brain. The dim light forced him to squint with his less tender eye, and finally he could distinguish the two Homunculi in their black clothing against the dark backdrop of their surroundings.

"Wh… where am I?" His voice sounded strange, a little deeper than usual.

Lust leaned down and offered him her hand. "Come on, Edward." Keeping his left palm over his throbbing eye, he clasped the extended hand with his right… and that's when he saw it.

His hand, his entire arm, was flesh. Slid over his forearm like a thin vambrace was a black fingerless glove so fitted against his skin that it felt like _part_ of him. Before this could fully register, he realized something else, something far more terrifying. On the back of his hand, overlaid on the glove, was a red double-ringed circle, and connected to it was a thin crimson line that ran the length of his arm to his shoulder. He traced its path across his chest where it ended in another circular node. Though he couldn't get a good look at his left arm in his current position, it took only a brief glance for him to deduce this pattern was mirrored on his other side. He had thought he was bare-chested at first, but now he saw more of the tight black cloth covering his torso like a second skin.

"Edward? You aren't getting up. Come on." The tranquility in her voice both soothed and infuriated him. She obviously had something to do with this.

"Pfft! He's scared stiff. Guess the little brat has a lower shock threshold than I thought."

Lust huffed. "Envy… for once… can you just _stop talking_? Isn't there something you can go prepare for while I calm him down?"

"Whatever," Envy scoffed.

He listened as the Homunculus stomped up a staircase and opened a door, beyond which more voices could be heard. Then, the door closed, and all was quiet and still again.

"Give me your other hand," said Lust, speaking as one would to a frightened animal. "And don't worry about your eye; it'll be fine." He obeyed, and she pulled him upright. He felt two human feet touch cold stone when he stood, meaning that his leg had somehow been transformed as well. While he tried to master his quaking body, he found his voice again.

"Where's my automail?" Again, his voice felt deeper, altered somehow.

"I left it at Hogwarts; it wasn't like you were going to need it."

"Wh… what have you done to me?"

She smiled sympathetically and caressed his cheek with a gloved hand. Even though she had dropped the fake identity of Solaris for the moment, she was still about half-a-head shorter than him. She gazed up into his terrified eyes and whispered, "I'll show you."

She led him along the route Envy had taken, and his left eye protested at the increase of light. Why did the damn thing hurt so much? A dreadful idea was beginning to formulate in his mind. At last, Solaris pulled him in front of a full-length mirror, and what he saw stole his breath away in horror.

Edward's reflection was a stranger. Only after several long seconds did he finally recognize familiar facial features, but… it was all so wrong. His hair was black, short, and stringy – like how Mustang's looked after not showering for a few days. And his eyes… the right was blood red, whereas the left hardly resembled an eye at all. Stamped upon the milky white was the symbol of the Ouroboros. More of the red nodes and lines ran across his back and down his legs, and over his ankles and lower calves were sheaths of the same black cloth, just like the kind Envy wore. The only piece of normal clothing he had on was a tattered pair of jeans ripped to knee-length and secured by a simple belt. Ed took in this nightmarish picture in disbelief. This couldn't be real; it couldn't be. He wasn't-

"So, what do you think?" asked Lust, slinking behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle, and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Envy figured out that if he used Polyjuice Potion as a base, he could make your body malleable enough to transform. After that, it was just a matter of coming up with a disguise, and since we were pressed for time, he decided you could play the role of Wrath. As I told him, though – I much prefer you blonde."

Ed tried to take in all that she was saying, but in his disquieted state, it took a little longer than usual. Why was he here, trapped in a body that was his, and yet not his? Punishment – that was what Envy had said. But, Lust had just called it a disguise, so what was that all about? More importantly, he came back to Envy's words from before: _"The Potion and the bit of the Stone I siphoned off have limited resources."_ Ed looked at the reflection of his left eye again; now that it had adjusted to the light, it was picking up on details no human eye should be capable of seeing: microscopic particles of dust, the exact rate at which Lust breathed, or the precise angles of candlelight that illuminated the mirror. _"One, one-and-a-half hours at most, and then he'll be back to his blonde, human self."_ That had been Envy's conclusion. Ed placed a hand over his heart and listened, not only with his ears, but with his mind as well. Putting aside his panic, he focused... until he could hear the screams once more. Voices, _human_ voices begged him for death, for release. Emerging from this painful introspection, Edward finally accepted the truth.

In this moment, he was a Homunculus.

"You really don't know… how cruel you are," he said at last.

Solaris smiled, as if he had just told a joke. "What do you mean, Edward?"

"…Never mind. You wouldn't understand anyway."

"If you say so. Now, come along. Time's wasting, and Father's waiting." She escorted him to a large chamber that was the source of the voices he'd heard from the room in which he'd woken. The whole house was grandiose to a ridiculous extent, but this topped the lot. Hanging on the high walls were dozens of moving portraits, mostly containing haughty-looking witches and wizards who turned up their noses at the mere sight of him. A long dining table ran the length of the room, surely large enough to feed a hundred, and at the head of this table sat Father. He rose from his chair as Lust and Edward approached, and the latter could feel his chest tightening with every step closer to the monster that was the source of his misery. Lust let him take the final strides alone, leaving Ed in Father's immediate vicinity. The boy glared at the Homunculus with as much ferocity as he could muster, which brought a cynical smile to the villain's face.

"Is that any way to greet your master?"

"I could call you a bearded bastard instead," Ed snapped, even though he knew cheek wasn't a wise tactic.

"You insolent worm!" Envy snarled, emerging from a dark corner. "You shouldn't even have the nerve to _stand_ in Father's presence!" He placed a foot on Ed's back and pushed, forcing Ed to his knees. "That's right! Stay on the ground like the dog you are!"

"My, my," said a new, quite different voice. "Am I… interrupting something?" Ed raised his head, and his blood went cold. He didn't need an introduction to know who had just entered the room. Gazing down at him through red, slit-pupiled eyes that strongly resembled those of a Homunculus was Lord Voldemort. As terrifying as the situation was, Ed still found his initial thought comical: _He has no nose. That's weird_. "It seems my reputation proceeds me," said the Dark Lord, noting the recognition in Ed's face. Voldemort turned to Father, "Is this a new member in your ranks, Homunculus?"

"Yes and no," admitted Father. "He doesn't normally have this appearance, but this form was necessary in order for him to take part in the mission." Motioning that Envy withdraw his foot, Father grasped Ed by the upper arm and hoisted him to a standing position. "This is Edward Elric, Van Hohenheim's eldest son."

"Really?" said Voldemort, intrigued. He glided across the room, and only then did Ed realize he hadn't come alone. Standing in the Dark Lord's wake was Snape. The two locked eyes for a moment, just long enough for Ed to feel comforted that he wasn't completely alone. Then, Voldemort loomed over him, cutting off eye contact between Ed and Snape.

"Edward Elric," Voldemort mused, lifting Ed's face toward his so as to get a better look at the boy. "I hear that you are good friends with Harry Potter. And, how is he? Does he quake in fear at the very mention of my name?"

"No," Ed replied, sounding much braver than he felt. "Quite the opposite, actually."

"Is that so? How disappointing. But… maybe you're just covering for him, to save his childish dignity."

Ed realized what Voldemort was about to do just in time and raised his mental shield. The Dark Lord tried to get into his mind, but made no progress. At last, he cocked a thin eyebrow. "Well, well. _Someone_ has taught you Occlumency, and done an excellent job of it, too." He glanced over his shoulder at Snape. "Your handiwork, I assume, Severus?"

"Indeed, my lord, though how he chooses to employ it… is far out of my control."

"Quite, quite…" Voldemort finally released Ed's chin and slithered back the way he had come. "I'm sure you'll do an efficient job of the task, Homunculus. Carry on."

Once the door had shut behind the wizards, Envy let out a slow, exasperated growl. "I can't stand that slimy human. What a snake."

"For once, I think I can agree with you," Ed found himself saying. "The guy redefines creepy."

"Enough idle talk," Father chided, and silence fell on the room once more. He faced Edward, "I can tell you've figured out a good deal of the situation, child. That simplifies things."

Ed nodded, then asked, "What is this mission, this task Voldemort was talking about?"

"A condition of our alliance," replied Father ambiguously.

"He wants us to bust some of his followers out of the wizard prison, Azkaban," Envy scoffed. "So, we need an alchemist to blow the place open. Kimblee was gonna do it, but then you got yourself landed with the job by blabbing to Snivelus Snape. Congratulations."

"Will the Order get involved?" Ed pondered aloud.

"It's definitely a possibility," said Lust as she fiddled with the tips of her gloves. "That's why we took the precaution of disguising you."

"Oh…" He now realized why Snape had made sure to get his approval to tell Dumbledore about the contract if Ed ended up on the wrong side of the battle lines. As a spy within the Death Eaters' ranks, he had known about this mission from Voldemort's end and had predicted that Ed might become involved somehow.

"Come on," Envy announced. "We should get moving. I estimate that Wrath will only be with us for another hour or so."

"Don't call me Wrath," Ed grimaced.

"Would you prefer that I run around on the battlefield shouting your _real_ name?"

"…Well, no, but-"

"Then, quit complaining and just deal with it."

Pride and Sloth were waiting in what looked like the main foyer of the mansion. When Ed glanced around, he noticed the most prominent portrait of the lot: Draco Malfoy and his parents, all sharing that same haughty look that conveyed Ed was an unwanted smudge of dirt on their floor. _So this is the Malfoys' house. What suck-ups, letting Voldemort hide out here_.

"Quit dawdling, Wrath," Pride grumbled, and Ed immediately picked up his pace to join the others. The eldest Homunculus generated a pool of shadow beneath the five of them in preparation for their departure.

"And you're sure this won't _accidentally_ trap us in that nasty mini-dimension thing?" Ed checked, feeling more than a little creeped out as the darkness slid under his partially bare feet.

"I'm sure," Pride replied with finality. With that, the shadows on the floor opened like a great maw and swallowed them. Ed vaguely registered the familiar sensations of deconstruction and reconstruction, but it passed much more quickly than on his previous excursions in and out of the Portal. Before he knew it, they were through.

Ed felt ocean spray on his face as a frothy, tempestuous sea crashed against jagged rocks around them. The temperature drop made him shiver involuntarily, but he quickly realized that his body wasn't nearly as sensitive to such things as it should have been. _Another perk of being a Homunculus, I guess_. But, wait… why was he even keeping track? Was his scientific mind really so irrepressible? He remembered what the illusion of Shou Tucker had said to him during his coma: _"Aren't you the least bit curious… about what it would be like? The next level above humanity – don't you want to know what differentiates the Homunculi from us, to experience it firsthand?"_

_Okay_, he admitted, _maybe I was… an infinitesimally bit curious. But two hours like this is more than enough to satisfy that curiosity_.

"Hey!" Envy nudged him in the side, yelling in order to be heard over the roar of the waves. "No time for daydreaming, Wrath!"

"S… sorry," Ed managed, his apology lost in the surrounding noise.

"Then get moving! Azkaban's just up ahead! The inmates Voldemort's interested in are all on the far side, so don't bother with the rest!"

"So just… crack it open?"

"Like an egg! Now, move it!"

Within seconds, Ed was running along the rocky coast of the island on which the prison stood. He had never been so fast before – this speed wouldn't even have been possible with a human body. As the towering structure of the fortress grew larger, Ed felt the air grow colder. But, it wasn't a natural cold; it reached through his durable body and went straight for his lungs, making each breath more difficult than its predecessor. _What the hell's going on?_

His Ultimate Eye roved the sky, and that's when he saw them. Skeletal creatures draped in black hooded shrouds were circling above him, and the very sight of them was like a giant icicle to the chest. He nearly lost his footing, but his bare toes gripped the rough surface of the rock and steadied him enough to keep going. Somehow, Ed got the feeling that if he stopped, he would become a sitting duck for those dark _things_. Besides, his orders compelled him to keep moving. At last, he reached the outer wall of the tower. _Blow this up? I've never wrecked anything this big before…_ Then, Ed remembered that Kimblee had been the original alchemist for this assignment, which meant Kimblee's technique could get the job done. He'd only glimpsed it once, but once was enough. Pressing his palms together, he summoned so much tectonic energy that his fingers started to burn from the power. He released the surge into the base of the prison, and the chain reaction began. Unfortunately, Ed hadn't calculated his own strength; the explosion sent him flying into the surf. Ears ringing, he began clawing his way out of the churning water. A hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him back onto solid ground.

"Not too shabby, pipsqueak!" Envy chortled. As Ed shook water off of himself, the green-haired Homunculus cast a glance at the creatures in the sky.

"What the hell are those things?" Ed asked.

"Apparently, they're called dementors! They suck warmth and happiness out of you, or – if they get the chance – they just go straight for your soul! If they start attacking you, use you wand! Lust stuck it in your back pocket!"

"Is there a spell to repel them or something?"

"Yeah! It's called the Patronus Charm, or something like that!"

Now he remembered. Ed had read about dementors and patronuses over the summer, but he had never tried using the charm itself. As Ed watched the dark creatures circle, he noticed minor distortions in the air. Upon closer examination, he saw them begin to take shapes. Somehow, his Ultimate Eye could detect signs of Apparition.

"Hey, Envy? I think we're about to have company!"

"Dammit! That was fast!" Envy whirled on him. "Listen up, Wrath! You don't have to kill them, but don't you dare go easy on them! Remember, if time runs out, you'll change back right in front of them, and I don't think you want that to happen!"

Ed nodded in understanding, grateful that he wasn't being forced to do permanent harm to anyone, be they Ministry personnel or members of the Order. Before he could do anything else, though, spells started flying. Envy immediately took off in search of a good fight, leaving Ed to his own devices. Accepting that he would have to enter the fray sooner or later, the young alchemist surveyed the field of battle. He caught a brief glimpse of Kingsley, and another of Lupin, which meant it was indeed the Order who had responded first. The balance of power seemed pretty even between the Homunculi and the Order, even with two or three wizards against one monster.

Just then, a Stunning Spell missed him by millimeters. When he traced it back to the source, he saw a woman with black hair charging in his direction. Racking his brains, he connected her face with the name Hestia Jones.

_Crap, I hate having to fight women. Well, too late to back out now_. As Hestia shot an Impediment Jinx at him, his superhuman reflexes took over. Next thing he knew, he had darted behind her and delivered a sharp blow to the back of her neck at just enough strength to render her unconscious. She crumpled in a heap, and Ed hoped she hadn't hit her head on the rocks too badly. "Sorry," he whispered.

Before he could move on to another target, he felt his chest grow even colder than before. The dementors must have noticed the presence of new delectable souls on their turf. _Great, just what I needed_. He could hear the screams of the souls inside him again – probably a side effect of the dementors' proximity. Trying to ignore this inner ruckus, he left the shore and headed inland. He made sure to steer clear of Mad-Eye, just in case the ex-Auror would be able to see through his disguise somehow. Ministry guards had started appearing now, too; at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. Ed stole a glance toward the tower. From what he could see, Pride was locating Voldemort's imprisoned followers and transporting them, probably back to Malfoy Manor. _Can't he hurry it up?_

A low, lazy moan alerted him just in time. If he hadn't skidded to a halt, Sloth would have landed on top of him, hardly ideal.

"That… hurt…" Sloth muttered. Now that they were further away from the ocean, it was easier to hear each other talk. "Stupid… armored boy… won't stay still…"

Ed's heart skipped a beat. "Armored boy?" He whirled around, trying to find Sloth's attacker. _It can't be… he's at Hogwarts. Why would he be here?_ And yet… there he was. Edward could genuinely say that the sight of that suit of armor had never truly terrified him until this moment.

"What's the matter?" Alphonse taunted, beckoning Sloth back over. "Can't you handle one little boy?"

"Such a pain…" Sloth grumbled as he struggled to get back to his feet.

"Or maybe you need your teammate there to back you up?"

It took Ed a second to digest that Al was referring to _him_, which meant Al had seen him. That realization left him motionless, frozen. He feared that even the slightest move would give him away, would reveal his true identity.

"Wrath…?" Ed was amazed Sloth could even remember his pseudonym. "I don't want to fight him anymore."

"So, what the hell am I supposed to do about it?" Ed hissed, hoping that Al couldn't hear him from that far away.

At that moment, Lust ran over. "Why are you two just standing there?"

Not daring to speak Al's name, Ed raised a hand and pointed to his younger brother.

Lust's eyes widened. "Oh. That presents a problem." She looked at her sibling. "Sloth, get back over there. Wrath will relieve you in a moment, but keep Alphonse busy until then."

"Oooookaaaaay," drawled Sloth, and, with a _whoosh_, he was fighting Al again.

Lust approached a trembling Ed and wrapped him in her arms in an attempt to calm him. "It's okay."

"I can't do it," Ed choked. "I _can't_. Please, don't make me…"

"You _can_ do it; in fact, you're the best choice. All you have to do is hold him off until Pride finishes. You'll be fine."

"But he's my brother. He knows my fighting styles; he'll recognize me."

"If you go in believing that, he most certainly will. Throw him off; improvise." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "Don't doubt yourself, and don't hold back. As long as you don't damage his blood seal, he's practically invulnerable anyway. Now, go on."

The first step was the hardest. Then another, and another. Soon enough, he was running full-tilt toward Al. "Sloth! Move!" The gigantic Homunculus lumbered away, leaving Al momentarily confused. And then Ed hit him, again and again, from all sides, moving so quickly that half of the time he was a blur. Ed found that the easiest way to keep himself going was by imagining that this was just another sparring match, one where he was trying more than ever to win, to beat Al. The younger Elric raised his arms defensively, but Ed's Ultimate Eye gave him a definite advantage.

"Stop it!" Al shouted in frustration, swinging wildly. Out of pure luck, the blow struck home, slamming Ed squarely in the face. He fell to the ground in a daze, and when his vision realigned, Al was standing over him.

"Another new Homunculus?" Al mused aloud. "Just like Ling…"

"Wrath!" Envy shouted. "You had better hang in there, or I'll kill you!"

"Wrath?" Al echoed, looking back down at Ed. "But I thought King Bradley was Wrath."

Trying to make his voice sound as deep and menacing as possible, Ed clarified the mix-up. "He was, but I killed him and took over that role. That old man was way past his prime anyway."

"So you're a murderer just like the rest of them," Al said, and Ed could distinctively hear disapproval in the metallic voice. His little brother's words cut him like a knife… because they were completely true.

"That's right," he admitted, getting back on his feet and assuming a low fighting stance. "So defend yourself, Alphonse Elric!"

The fight resumed. Ed had long since lost track of time. How much longer did he have… fifteen minutes, ten, two? Al deflected one of his attacks, forcing him to take several steps back. Before he could move in again, something hit him in the back, and he caught vague traces of green light on the edges of his vision. Green… the Killing Curse? Ed collapsed onto the uneven ground, feeling stiff all over. One of the screaming voices inside him dissipated, telling him that a human soul had just been sacrificed to keep him alive. Equivalent exchange.

He didn't want to get up. Orders or no orders, his body was in shock from… well, from _dying_, and that wasn't an easily overcome experience. Alphonse, assuming that his opponent had been incapacitated, looked around to see if anyone needed help. But, before he could act, he shuddered. Clutching at his helmet, Al dropped to his knees.

"No," he groaned, his voice fading. "Not now. Not now!"

Was Al's soul being pulled away? Ed tried to raise his head, but he was still too weak. Sure enough, Al was losing it; he was leaning lower and lower to the ground, as if about to fall asleep. What was more, that cold sensation was getting stronger again, and Ed didn't like it at all. As he began to regain feeling in his limbs, the first dementors appeared. No longer interested in guarding Azkaban, they had been lured to the battle by the concentration of fresh souls. To them, the Homunculi must have smelled like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Expecting them to come straight for him, Ed was horrified when they began to concentrate around Al. Was his soul, so loosely attached to that hollow shell, the most vulnerable target, and therefore the most appetizing? As the dark creatures closed in, Al finally collapsed, lifeless.

"…No…" said Ed, forcing himself off of the ground. "Get… get away from him. Get away!" In an instant, he had charged into the midst of the dementors. One of them was lifting Al's helmet away from the main body as another reached inside, searching for the blood seal. "GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU DEMONS!" he screamed, unsheathing his wand. He _would not_ lose Al. His keen memory came to his aid, and the incantation to his lips. "Expecto Patronum!" A brilliant white light shone from the tip of the ash wand. It didn't have a stable corporeal form, but Ed could have sworn that, for moments at a time, it looked like an exact duplicate of Al's armor. The dementors backed away from the younger Elric, and Ed stood protectively over the motionless shell.

"Al!" he called. "Al, you have to get up!"

The metal bulk quivered. "…W… what?"

"You have to get up, Al! Get up and get out of here!"

The armor picked up its helmet and reattached it. Al still seemed only half-conscious, but at least he could move. "Wait… you… you called me 'Al.' Do… do I know you?"

_No, no, no, no, no…_ Ed's mind was berating him for dropping the sinister sadist act, but Al's safety was infinitely more important. "Just go!" he snapped. "The rest of the Order will protect you!"

"But, what about you?"

"Hell if I know! That doesn't matter! Just run! Get going!"

With Ed's Patronus covering his escape, Al stumbled through the circle of dementors. It held out just long enough for the younger Elric to reach a reasonable distance from the monsters. Then, Ed's sorrow took root, and the light dissolved, leaving him surrounded. The screams had gotten so loud, and Ed felt his own soul writhing in pain with them. All hope and happiness left him. _Just end this_, he thought miserably. His wand slipped out of his hand as one of the dementors moved in, lowering its hood to reveal a featureless face save for a small, circular mouth ringed with pointed teeth. Ed's knees gave way, but the creatures grabbed him and kept him upright. The leader wrapped its cold, clammy, skeletal hands around his chin, forcing his face up toward its. Ed closed his eyes as it stooped to deliver the final blow: The Dementor's Kiss. One by one, the souls Envy had shoved inside him were sucked out through his mouth, rising up his throat like individual drops of blood. His own soul would be next; it was only a matter of time now.

* * *

Lust had felt… a little guilty about making Ed fight his own brother, but she had known it was the best way to keep him clear of the wizards. The Stone inside him was only a small sliver of Wrath's essence; it wouldn't last long against recurring attacks.

These thoughts buzzed through her mind as she held off four Aurors. It was a rather boring stalemate: they would deflect her Ultimate Spears with Shield Charms, and she would either dodge their offensive spells or quickly recover from them.

"Lust!" Pride called, landing beside his sister and slashing at the Aurors with such alarming speed that they were overcome. "I just sent the last Death Eater ahead. Go find Wrath so we can leave."

"Right," she nodded. Now that Pride was no longer occupied with search-and-rescue, he was able to mount a tremendous counter-attack against the wizards, pushing them back with ease. Lust darted among the startled enemy, scanning for Edward. For some reason, an uneasy tug was swelling in her gut. If he was hurt…

That was when she saw Alphonse moving in her direction. Slowing by his side, she demanded, "Where's Wrath?"

"W… Wrath?" The younger Elric look befuddled, as if he had been knocked for a loop. "He… he got me out."

"Out of where?"

Alphonse pointed back the way he had come, and Lust's heart sank. Dozens of dementors had swarmed around a single point near the opposite end of the island, all of them drawn to a particularly delectable meal.

"No." Leaving a confused Alphonse in her wake, Lust rushed the monsters, slicing at them indiscriminately. At last, she reached him… but a dementor had gotten there first.

"ED!" She followed her blood-curdling shriek with a spear-tipped finger, skewering the dementor's head clean through. It howled, dropped Ed, and hovered away, flailing in pain. The others scattered, driven away by her ferocity. Even before they had vacated the area, she had half-collapsed at Ed's side, scooping him up in her arms. He wasn't moving. "No! Edward, don't you dare leave me! That's an order! Don't you dare…" Those damn beasts! Ed's soul was hers, hers and no one else's. But there was no denying the small incision marks around his mouth where the dementor had clamped onto his face. Lust found herself shaking, not with fear of Father's anger at the loss of one of his sacrifices, but with her own grief. Even in such a short time, Ed had become something she could cling to and depend on, a boy so full of spirit and love that she couldn't help but be drawn to him like a magnet. As the first tear dripped off of her cheek onto his, she leaned down and kissed the warm, still lips. Despite all her talk of playing with his body, what she had really wanted was his soul, his attention… his love. And now, he was gone.

* * *

Was he dead? Maybe. He felt so disconnected from his body that it was certainly a viable hypothesis. Before he could debate about it any further, however, a familiar, pleasant warmth reached him in the darkness. It called him, pulling his consciousness up, up…

He opened his eyes to find Lust kissing him. Of course, that was why he had faintly recognized this blissful sensation. In his incoherent state, it felt like heaven. But… why was she crying? He raised a weak hand and brushed the tears from her cheek. Immediately, she pulled away, gasping in utter shock.

"Y… you're…"

"Alive?" Ed mumbled, slowly sitting up. "Yeah, it surprised me, too. I thought for sure that dementor had-" A relieved squeal from Lust cut him off as she broke down into a hysterical mess on his shoulder. She clutched him like a talisman, or maybe a favorite stuffed animal – something to protect her and give her comfort. Ed didn't know whether to feel disgusted… or sorry for her. Was she really so empty that she needed him that badly?

Ed felt like overcooked pasta: pure and simple mush. Without the Stone's power supply, he only _looked_ the part of Wrath; his left eye no longer saw anything special, and the cold air stabbed his body likes thousands of tiny pins.

"What the hell happened over here?" Envy demanded upon arriving at the scene and finding his sister sobbing all over Ed like a distraught little girl.

"Oh, nothing much. A dementor nearly sucked out my soul, that's all."

"WHAT?"

"I _said_, 'Oh, nothing mu-'"

"Shut it, pipsqueak. We need to make tracks; you'll be starting to change back any minute now." He was right. Ed was losing feeling in his right arm and left leg at an alarming rate. Sloth and Pride reached them just as the convulsions kicked in, but Lust seemed to come out of her hysteria enough to hold him still. Ed's skin bubbled while they made their escape, and, by the time they had reappeared in the foyer of Malfoy Manor, he was once again Edward Elric. He was glad the Homunculi had thought ahead by giving him normal pants; otherwise, he would have been completely naked. His automail ports looked quite forlorn without their respective prosthetic attachments.

"Whew," Envy sighed. "_That_ was _too_ close." He teasingly whapped the back of Ed's head. "Well done, Smallric, but don't think this means I've forgiven you for the 'Mudblood' prank."

"I figured it wouldn't," Ed laughed in spite of himself.

Suddenly, the four Homunculi and the human boy all heard slow clapping from a single pair of hands. Looking around, they saw Voldemort applauding their success.

"Masterfully executed," he surmised in that reptilian voice of his. "And I see the real Edward had decided to join us." He sounded… hungry, as if he wanted to torture the small blonde. Had Hohenheim really made such a reputation during the First Wizarding War that Voldemort felt inclined to take it out on the man's son?

To Ed's surprise, the Homunculi moved in front of him, placing themselves between him and the Dark Lord.

"Apologies, Lord Voldemort," said Pride diplomatically, "but we can't let you have him."

"He belongs to us," Envy growled. "He's _our_ dog."

Ed didn't know whether to feel touched or belittled, but he was glad they weren't going to hand him over for Voldemort's sadistic pleasure.

"Fair enough," the Dark Lord sighed wistfully. "Well, a good evening to you." He turned on his heel and swirled from the room amidst his black robes. After he had left, Snape emerged from the shadows.

"What do _you_ want, Death Eater?" Envy challenged.

"I want to speak with Edward. In relative private, if you don't mind."

Ed was slightly shocked to hear the Potions Master use his first name, but he knew this was a special exception. Pride and Envy made way obligingly, beckoning Sloth after them as they went in search of Father. Lust, however, gave no intention of moving; even though she had quieted her sobs, she was still gripping him tightly.

"Lust," Ed encouraged. "Don't _you_ need to go report to your Father, too? I'm not _going_ anywhere, just talking." Eventually, he managed to coax her into releasing him and following her brothers. As soon as she had gone, Snape knelt by Ed's side.

"Are you all right?"

"No worse for wear, I think… overall."

"You understand what I need to do now, don't you?"

"Yeah." Ed found himself chuckling softly. "It wouldn't surprise me if Dumbledore somehow knew about this whole thing already. He is _Dumbledore_, after all. But, still… yeah, you _should_ tell him."

"I'll see to it as soon as I return to Hogwarts."

"Then, by all means, do so," said Father, having soundlessly entered the room. The leader of the Homunculi looked down at Edward. "But, the child must remain a while longer. I have some new instructions for him."

Ed gulped; he didn't like the sound of that. Snape, sensing that Father would force him to leave if he did not depart of his own volition, rose and glided after his own dark master.

"So… what are these new orders?" Ed asked.

Father towered over him, his expression icy and cruel. "I have reassessed our strategy and decided… that it would be to our _advantage_ to let certain individuals know of our arrangement with you."

"Which individuals?"

"Well, that Death Eater who just left, for one; the headmaster of Hogwarts, for another. I have a few more in mind, but only one which _you_ need focus on." He crouched down so that he was on Ed's sedentary eye-level. "Your brother."

Ed's chest felt even colder than it had when the dementors had been attacking him. "Wh… what?"

"I know you heard me, Son of Hohenheim. You can take your time in doing it, but you must tell Alphonse Elric what you have done."

* * *

A/N: My sadism knows no bounds. Two cliffhangers in a row…

*Potter Puppet Pals imitation* Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldy, Voldy, Voldy, Voldy, Voldemort! ^v^

Because the Homunculi's clothes regenerate along with their bodies, I decided that they're somehow physically connected. Also, with Ed's transformation, the Polyjuice Potion worked around the automail ports, but it wouldn't have been able to handle the entire automail limbs.

The Harry Potter wiki came to my rescue once again. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have remembered an obscure Order member like Hestia Jones.

I like the idea of Ed's Patronus being Al. It makes such innate sense to me.

Whoa, Lust's POV – haven't used that since Chapter 5. I thought about doing that whole scene from Ed's POV, but that would have been much harder. She totally overreacted about Ed and the dementor thing, immediately assuming the worst XD So, yeah, you can feel a little sorry for her now… maybe…

BTW, I posted the first chapter for my new _FMA_/_HP_ crossover that was inspired from that idea in the A/N at the end of the previous chapter, but it has mega-evolved. It's called _**The Boy with the Lightning Scar**_… and I'm not talking about Harry. *hurr*


	21. Trust

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: My, my, I'm almost afraid I've made you guys like Lust _too_ much. Just food for thought…

Oh, and BTW, I made art of the Dementor's Kiss scene on my deviantART ptofile, AngelG93. Plz go check it out. ^_^

And, and! I finally finished that illustration project that's been consuming the past two years of my life! YAYAYAYAYAY! This means I'll have more time from now on to write! Double YAYAYAYAYAY!

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**marichan96**: Thanks for bringing up the Patronus. It didn't consistently have a corporeal form, so it mostly looked like white mist. Also, Al was only half-conscious when he saw it. Put together, Al didn't even recognize anything special about the Patronus.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

**Trust**

"But, why?" Ed demanded as the corners of his eyes began to sting with hot tears. "Why would you make me do that?"

"It will give me almost equal control over _him_ as I do over _you_," said Father plainly. "If your safety is at stake, he will surely comply with any future demands I make. He's such a sensible boy, after all."

Ed hung his head; he _would not_ let the Homunculus see him cry. Doing his best to hold in the tears, he found himself asking a strange question. "How could… something as sick and twisted as you… have ever… _ever_ been created… from my dad?"

"Every human has their dark side," Father mused, patting the top of Ed's head like he had when they'd first met. "I just managed to free myself." As Father stood, the other Homunculi reentered, back in their human disguises. "He has his new orders," he concluded. "All of you should return to the school now."

"Yes, Father," Selim answered dutifully.

Solaris sat next to Ed and placed a soothing hand on his trembling back. A leeching, selfish vixen she might be, but at least she seemed capable of feeling his pain. Because of that sense of understanding, Ed didn't feel guilty as she half-cradled him in her smooth arms and the numbing serenity traveled from her skin into his. Through his heaving breaths, he could hear her trying to quiet him. "Shh, it's all right. You've been through a lot tonight. You don't have to tell him tomorrow, so put it out of your mind for now. Shh…"

Though no amount of commands or hormonal alteration could ease the pain in his heart, his breathing slowly returned to a regular pace. As Selim opened another doorway with his shadows, Ed's fatigue coupled with Solaris's lulling influence drew him into a troubled sleep. And, like most of his restless nights, this slumber brought with it a haunting dream.

He was Wrath again, back on the island where Azkaban stood. The cold aura of the dementors reached out for him even as he focused on the approaching figure of Alphonse.

"Al!" he called out involuntarily.

The suit of armor stopped and looked at him with a tilted head, as if he was confused. "There it is again. You called me 'Al.' Are you sure I don't know you?"

"Listen, Al, about that…" Somehow, he managed to find the courage to keep speaking. "Yes… I mean, no, I mean…" He sighed as his jumbled thoughts strove to form a coherent sentence. "You _do_ know me. I know I don't look it right now, but… it's _me_. It's Ed."

Alphonse just stared at him blankly. "Ed? My brother, Ed?"

"Yes. I swear, there's a explanation for all of this, but-"

"That's not possible."

Ed halted mid-sentence and instead gaped, "What? Of course it's possible! I'm right here!"

"My brother would never look like a Homunculus. He would never help the Homunculi or Voldemort." Al towered over him menacingly. "And he would never… _ever_… fight against me in a real battle. Whatever kind of monster you are, you're _not_ my brother."

"Al…" Ed was sure tears had leaked out of his horror-stricken eyes by now. "I know why you would think that, but-"

"My brother would never betray me by joining the enemy."

"Al, please!" His surroundings felt like ice as the dementors latched onto his despair, drawing nearer. "Al, can't you accept it? Accept that I did something you wouldn't expect me to?"

"What is there to accept? You're the enemy, a Homunculus… a _monster_. Nothing more."

"Al, just listen to me!" The dementors were closing in around him, cutting him off from Al.

"You're not Ed. You're a monster."

"Al! _AL_!"

Just as one of the dementors grabbed his face and clamped its jaw over his mouth, it was over... and he was safely in his four-poster bed. Someone (probably Solaris) had reattached his automail limbs, put him back in his normal sleeping attire, and even set his wand on the nightstand. Thinking about Solaris seeing him practically naked again made him shudder, but… it was like the Colonel had said to him after he'd slaughtered the former Wrath: _"What's done is done; wallowing never did anyone any good."_ He stopped mid-thought as he realized that those words pretty much applied to his whole situation. He had made his choice, made it for Al's sake, no less. He would not let himself regret it; all he could do now was move forward and earn back his freedom… and Al's body. _Even if I did regret making that contract, it wouldn't change the fact that I'm stuck now. Looking back would only slow me down_.

Having thus reinforced his resolve, Ed thought the matter was settled, until a seed of despair spoke up_. You might see it that way, but what about Al? Will he agree that the end justifies the means?_

_Of course he will,_ the main chunk of his mind retorted. _He told me so himself; he's the one who convinced me to do it in the first place!_

_That's what you believed at the time, anyway. But, what if that Al really was just another trick, an illusion created by the Homunculus to get you to see things his way?_

_I can't accept that theory. That demon couldn't possibly make a convincing construct of Al._

_That's just you clinging to a naïve comfort_, the bitter realism in his heart delivered bluntly. _Deep down, you know Al won't approve of what you've done, even though it's all for his sake. In fact, that's what will infuriate him: that you gave up your freedom for his body, that what should be his price in Equivalent Exchange is being taken from you._

_I'm his big brother; it's my job to protect him, no matter the cost. As long as he gets his body back, I don't care what the hell the Homunculi do to me._

At this, the doubtful seed remained silent, not because it had no way of retaliating, but because it recognized that he was much too stubborn to be reasoned with intelligently.

When Ed finally descended to the Common Room, Solaris was waiting. The dementor incident seemed to have made her more sensitive to separation from him, a development he didn't at all find helpful. All the same, something else was different about her. Ed couldn't quite put his finger on it, and the closest word he could come up with was… calmer. Instead of impairing his ability to walk down a corridor by clinging to him, she simply slipped her hand into his and held it tightly, like a lifeline. As nice as _this_ change was, Ed still had the feeling there was some ulterior motive behind it. Was she giving him space so that he could focus on his task of telling Al the truth? Yeah, that was probably it.

How _was_ he going to tell Al? He hadn't thought that possible as recently as New Year's, and even though it was now an official order, could he really do it? As Ed mulled over these troublesome thoughts, he heard the most unexpected whisper of "Psst! Brother."

Ed nearly jumped out of his skin, and Solaris cocked an eyebrow.

"It's Al," he mouthed soundlessly. Taking the hint, she squeezed his hand before letting it go. As soon as she rounded the next corner, Ed slowly turned in the direction of the voice. Al was standing in plain view, pretending to be just another suit of armor stationed along the hallway.

"W… what are you doing, Al?" Ed laughed nervously.

"I had to come tell you what happened last night. Or, I guess it was technically this morning…"

"Oh?" said Ed, feigning ignorance. "Go on."

Alphonse relayed how Mad-Eye had come to fetch him because the Homunculi had attacked Azkaban. Once there, Al had grappled with Sloth, and held his own pretty easily.

"But, then… that was when the new Homunculus butted in."

Ed gulped. "Th… there's a new Homunculus?"

Al nodded solemnly. "Wrath. He put up a much harder fight than Sloth did. He might actually have beaten me, but…"

"But what?" Ed pressed. Was there a chance that Al had been conscious enough to recognize the form of the Patronus? Did Al already have his suspicions, and that was the real reason he had come to talk?

"But my soul started getting pulled away, and then the dementors came. I thought for sure I was going to die as I blacked out. But, when the blood seal began to stabilize, I was still in one piece, and Wrath… Wrath was protecting me. I wonder why he would do that."

"You're one of their valuable sacrifices," Ed reminded, steering Al away from the painful truth.

"Oh, yeah. That would make sense, I guess." Al twiddled his thumbs, "But there's one thing I just don't get."

"What's that?"

"He called me 'Al,' so familiarly. None of the other Homunculi have called me that… so, why did he?"

Ed swallowed. Here he was, on the brink already… and he couldn't do it. "I dunno. Maybe it was just his way of getting your attention or something."

"That could be…" mused Al. He rose from his makeshift seat on the empty plinth and looked down at his brother. "…Ed? Are you okay? You look pale."

Ed hastily arranged his features into a convincing smile. "I guess I still have some recovering to do from the Kimblee incident."

"Please don't push yourself, Brother."

"Sure…" Ed traipsed down the corridor after Solaris, but Al called him back.

"Ed? Why were you holding that girl's hand earlier?"

"She was holding my hand," Ed corrected futilely. "Now, before you get any ideas, Al-"

"Winry's going to kill you."

"Then, don't tell her!"

Al gaped at Ed. "Are you… two-timing her?"

"No… Sol..." Ed halted as he remembered that Al would recognize Lust's pseudonym from her brief stint as Havoc's girlfriend, "_This_ one's a clingy fangirl I can't get rid of, okay?"

"Do you need my help?"

"No, thanks. I'll come up with something."

Al sighed. "Okay… but I still think Winry will sense something when she sees you next and send a wrench flying at your head."

"Please don't make painful predictions like that," Ed shivered.

Al chuckled. "Well, I'll see you around, Brother."

"Yeah…" Ed was glad his little brother couldn't see his face as he walked away. "See ya, Al."

* * *

"Well?" Solaris asked as soon as Ed arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast.

Ed shook his head forlornly. "I… I couldn't do it." He slumped onto the bench next to her and played with a plateful of scrambled eggs.

"That's all right. There's always next time."

"Solaris, I don't know if I can do it _at all_. Since your Father said I could take my time, that's a loophole that could go on… forever."

"Father knows that… but he also knows you don't have the heart to lie to your brother forever."

Before Ed could come up with a reply, Luna took the seat on his other side. "Hello, Ed. You look especially filled with Wrackspurts this morning."

"Uh… thanks?" Even the closeness he'd felt to Luna was gone now, severed by the wall of his contract. Still, he did his best to smile and be interested as Luna told him about her daddy's latest findings on the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Then, Solaris tapped his shoulder.

"What?" he whispered.

"Maybe what you need is some practice… on someone else."

"Huh? Who'd you have in mind?"

Solaris's violet eyes darted toward the Gryffindor table… toward Harry.

"No."

"Why not? He's on Father's list."

"What? Why?"

"Just another way of getting leverage in the right places. Look, we need you to help us break it to him anyway, so consider it an opportunity to prepare you for telling Al."

"Nothing can prepare me for _that_," Ed insisted. "But… okay."

He stood and meandered across the Hall to the Gryffindor table. Looking up, Harry momentarily smiled, "Oh! Hey, Ed." Then, his attention went back to _The Daily Prophet_. "Have you seen the news? I can hardly believe it."

"Yeah, I've seen." _Duh! I was there_.

"I mean… this photograph makes it look like an entire side of the prison was just blown off."

"It was."

"What?"

"It does," Ed corrected himself. "It does look like that." He took a deep breath. "Actually, Harry, I need to tell you something related to that."

"To the prison break?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather it was more… in private."

Harry checked his watch. "Okay, I've got time. Sure."

Following Solaris's subtle lead, Ed directed Harry to the same unused classroom they'd utilized as a rendezvous point after he'd returned from Amestris… right after Father had tagged him like an animal.

"Um, Ed? What's your girlfriend doing here? What's she got to do with it?"

"Quite a lot, actually."

Solaris smiled at Harry before telling Ed, "Lenost will keep watch, and Selim and Kateus are already inside."

Ed nodded passively, turning to Harry in encouragement. "Come on."

"What's… going on here, Ed?"

"You'll just have to come in and find out, Harry," winked Solaris, taking Ed's arm and pulling him inside. The small blonde knew his wizard friend's curiosity had been hooked. He'd come in, all right.

"Why do you always have Lenost keep watch?" Ed asked while they waited for Harry. "I mean… aren't you worried he'll just fall asleep, or something?"

Solaris laughed. "Actually, that would just work to our advantage. Sloth's enhanced ability is something like a Muggle-Repelling Charm. He sends out subconscious suggestions, usually along the lines of, 'walking down this corridor would be a pain; take that other one, instead.' So, if he's asleep, that just makes the suggestions more effective."

Ed hopped up onto a desk and sat, letting his legs dangle off the side. "Oh… that's a little creepy."

"At least he can still be of some use that way," Kateus noted.

"That's cold. He's your brother, after all."

Selim snorted. "Our family doesn't run on the same principles as human ones, Edward. I would have thought _that_ would be obvious."

"That what would be obvious?" Harry had finally entered.

"Oh, good," said Selim, disregarding Harry's initial question. "Get the lock, Edward."

Ed obeyed, closing and bolting the door with a spell under his breath and a flick of his wand.

"Ed?" Harry asked, worry seeping into his voice.

"Attention _here_, Harry Potter," Selim insisted. Once Harry was looking at him, the smaller Gryffindor continued, "I'm not going to waste time about this; our Father has given us permission to inform you about the truth of the current situation."

"You say you're not going to waste time," muttered Ed, "and yet you ramble on ambiguously."

Kateus nudged Ed in the ribs. "Shut up until I say otherwise, Smallric."

Ed would have retorted, but his voice submissively stopped working, as if Kateus had just cast a Silencing Charm on him.

"If you don't mind," Selim growled dangerously. Kateus gave his older brother an innocent _"What did I do?"_ expression, which actually looked rather sickening. "As I was saying," Selim went on, "There's something important you need to know."

"Which is?"

"Edward's alliances have changed."

This sentence seemed to bounce off of Harry's brain unabsorbed. "Uh, sorry… what?"

"Dammit, this human's dense," Kateus snarled. "You could have warned us he wasn't all that bright, pipsqueak."

Ed threw the Homunculus a dirty look that said, _"You never asked."_

"Harry," Solaris trilled, trying to make up for her brothers' lack of tact, "didn't Ed tell you about the Homunculi?"

"Well, of course, but…" and _then_, it clicked. Harry backed away from Solaris and pressed up against the locked door. "Oh, my God."

"_Now_ he gets it," Kateus groaned.

"But… Ed!" Harry rounded on the small blonde. "You said the Homunculi were your bitter enemies!"

Kateus elbowed Ed again. "Go on. You can answer him."

Gathering his courage, Ed looked Harry in the eyes. "I… I know this must feel messed-up, Harry. Hell, I _still_ think it's messed-up… but it's the truth. Yes, the Homunculi were… _are_ my bitter enemies, but… I've had to put that aside for the time being in order to get my brother's body back."

"How on earth does that…?"

"He's working for us to earn it," Selim explained. "Indentured servitude, of a kind."

"That's barbaric!"

"That's Equivalent Exchange," said Ed with surprising calm. "Harry, I knew about the Azkaban breakout because I was there. The explosion that blew apart the prison… I _did_ that."

The anger in Harry's face was almost instantaneous. "That's not funny, Ed."

"And I'm not joking."

The next thing he knew, a Knockback Jinx had hit him squarely in the diaphragm, pushing all the air out of him and sending him toppling off of the desk. As his vision swam, he could see Harry trying to open the door, but Pride's shadows got there first. Within seconds, a wall of darkness had cut Harry off from his only exit.

"You're not going anywhere just yet, Potter," said Selim with awful finality.

Kateus snatched Harry's wand away and grinned, "Someone needs to mind his manners better."

Almost as soon as Ed got back on his feet, Harry rushed him. Just before the wandless wizard landed a solid punch to the small blonde, Kateus looped his arms around Harry's elbows, holding him back.

"Cool it, Potter!" he advised, but Harry wasn't listening.

"I TRUSTED YOU!" he screamed at Ed. "You're supposed to be on _our_ side, Ed, not on _theirs_! NOT ON _VOLDEMORT'S_!"

"Ah, I see you need further clarification," interjected Selim. "If Voldemort is your true enemy, Harry Potter, then you, Ed, and I are all on the same side."

"Like hell we are!" Harry bit back.

"Well, you're going to have to accept that fact if we're going to work together."

Harry was so taken aback by this that he relaxed in Kateus's grip, but Ed was just as confused.

"What?" both boys ogled.

"Nothing as extensive as Edward's arrangement with us, of course," Selim appended. "Whether you believe us or not, we _are_ going to betray Voldemort. So, it would be helpful if you would keep us informed of anything you learn through that connection you have to Voldemort's mind. We could know if he suspects us."

Harry's face blanched. "H… How did you know I have-"

"Because we're not stupid," Kateus snapped.

Ed cautiously raised a hand. "I didn't know about this." Was _that_ why Harry had been able to sympathize with him before?

"Then I guess that makes you stupid, Smallric."

"Forget I asked," the young alchemist grumbled sourly.

"Can you two quit it?" Selim begged.

"Why would I ever do you any favors?" Harry demanded, his face set.

Selim's arrogant grim resurfaced. "Well… I could threaten to torture and kill your friends if you don't…" When Harry looked aghast, the eldest Homunculus finished, "but that would be unnecessarily extreme. You're a compassionate person by nature, Harry Potter, so… I really think I only need torture _one_ of your friends."

The bespectacled wizard bit his lip, but refused to give. Chuckling in condescending amusement, Selim turned to Ed. "Give me your wand, Edward."

"Huh?" His brain had to catch up with his body as he handed the ash wand to Selim. "What are you going to use it for?"

"Now, Potter," Selim continued, ignoring Ed's question and facing Harry once again, "I know you must feel simply livid at Ed for helping us, but I also know you aren't so cold as to turn your back on him completely."

"You're entitled to that opinion," came Harry's icy reply.

"I guess we'll just have to see who's right, won't we?" With that, Selim pointed the wand at Ed. "_Crucio_."

It was as if Father's punishment had spread throughout his entire body… or maybe even worse. The pain reached into every nerve, twisting and stabbing. When the curse lifted, he lay on the floor in a crumpled heap; from the soreness in his throat, he knew he had screamed.

"Why the hell did you attack _him_?" Harry gaped. "He's your partner!"

Kateus cackled. "_Partner_? Please... He's our _property_, our _dog_ that we can kick around however we please. You think he _enjoys_ working for us? He hates every second of it. Love really does make you humans do stupid things."

Harry's expression grew troubled, but his true thoughts were unreadable. Ed's eyes drifted to Solaris… and what he found was a harsh slap from reality: she wasn't even looking at him. Oh, sure, she might have had a breakdown when she thought a dementor had sucked out his soul, but, if her brothers were the ones causing him pain on Father's orders, she could just pay no mind. How fickle could a woman get?

"It's such a small request, Harry Potter," sighed Selim. "Why not simply say 'yes'?"

"Because… I know you can't afford to kill Ed."

"That may be true… but we only need him alive. We never said anything about needing his mind intact. You saw what happened to the Longbottom boy's parents after enough exposure to the Cruciatus Curse."

Though Ed didn't exactly know what Selim was talking about, he got the gist of the threat. "Hey… you aren't… serious, are you, Selim? What about-"

"Even if you end up a vegetable, we'll still honor the deal." The violet eyes gleamed dangerously. "I am deadly serious."

He raised the wand again, but just before he repeated the curse, Harry cut in. "Wait!"

Selim cocked an expectant eyebrow, obliging to Harry's request.

"…Okay. Okay, I'll do it."

"Excellent," Selim smiled only slightly more genially. He tossed the ash wand to its owner and withdrew his shadows. "So, if you hear, see, or feel anything from Voldemort, just let me know."

Harry clenched his teeth. "Fine."

"Kateus, you can let him go now."

"Sure," complied the green-haired Mulus, releasing Harry, handing the boy his wand, and leading the way from the room. Selim quickly followed, leaving Solaris and the two boys.

The female Homunculus crouched by Ed's side as the small blonde started to get up again, but he swatted her hand away. "I don't want your help," he half-snarled. When she didn't move, he met her confused face with blazing eyes. "You're really a piece of work – you know that? You put on this big act to try and lure me in, but, when it comes down to orders, you're just as cold as your brothers. When it matters, I'm just another human, so maybe you should quit trying to convince me or yourself or anyone else otherwise."

Why did she have to put on that hurt, pleading expression? It was so infuriating! Who was she trying to fool? Still, Ed felt a twinge of guilt when she strode from the room with a trembling lip.

That left Ed and Harry alone, and the young alchemist could practically feel his friend's constrained anger radiating throughout the room.

"You can go ahead and hit me if you want to," Ed offered. "I deserve it… all of it. Kateus was right; I made a stupid, rash decision, but I can't turn back now." He stood and faced Harry with the strongest expression he could muster. "I'm going to make it right, Harry, I promise you that. I don't know what I can do about Voldemort, but the Homunculi… as soon as they give me what I want, all bets are off, and they're dead." It was strange how his words felt so similar to the way Selim and Solaris had justified their temporary alliance with Voldemort. Mentally shaking off that connection, Ed waited for Harry to say something… anything.

"Ed, I… I don't want to be a fair-weather friend… but you can't expect me to condone what you've done."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm not asking anything of you. Whatever you feel the need to dish out, I can take."

Harry sighed. "Does Al know about this?"

"Of course not… but that's gonna change soon enough. I've been given orders to tell him."

"Orders? Can't you just… circumvent them? Simply _not_ obey them?"

Ed found himself laughing. "Harry, if I could do that, do you really think they could have forced me to tag along to Azkaban?" When the other had no reply, Ed unbuttoned the top of his shirt and showed Harry the Ouroboros on his chest. "This brand takes away my choice in the matter. Kateus – or Envy, really – called me their dog, and that description's alarmingly accurate. I sit and roll over when I'm told to; I have no control over it. If I'd known that going into the deal… maybe my decision would have been different."

A trace of what looked suspiciously like pity seeped into Harry's face, which immediately set Ed on edge. "Don't feel sorry for me. I made the choice; I'm going to handle the consequences." Trying to divert the subject, he smiled apologetically. "So, does this mean I'm kicked out of the Army?"

It took Harry a second to realize what Ed was talking about, but then, he shook his head. "No. I don't have a problem with you staying on… as long as _they_ don't have to come, too."

"Kateus wouldn't be caught dead there. Selim just wouldn't care, and neither would Lenost. But, Solaris… I might not be able to persuade her to leave me alone for that long."

"That's… unhealthy."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Hoping to drop the conversation at that point, Ed passed Harry and headed for the door.

"Ed…"

"Yeah?" Ed replied, waiting.

"I… I just wish you had come to us – your friends – before you gave in. We would have done whatever it took to-"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Harry, I _do_, but this is something no amount of magic could have fixed. Alchemy is the only thing that can bring Al's body back, and I'm running out of time." Exhaling heavily, he turned his back on Harry and mused, "Maybe if you had a little brother, you could understand. I'd sell my soul to the devil, I'd throw myself into Hell if it would keep him safe."

On that somber note, they parted.

* * *

The less-than-ideal interaction with Harry did little to encourage Ed to break the news to Al. In fact, it nudged him toward putting it off. He tried to push it out of his mind for the next few days as he bulldozed through make-up homework. Solaris had become more distant after his harsh words to her, but that suited Ed just fine. Terry asked if he and his pretty girlfriend had run into a little lover's spat, a theory that Ed quickly responded to with, "We just need some breathing room."

"Still," Terry persisted, "don't let her breathe too long, or some other lucky fellow will snap her up."

Ed was tempted to say, "Help yourself," but he curbed his tongue.

A week passed, then two. Ed slipped into a dull routine of going to classes and, overall, behaving himself, but, all the while, he inwardly grappled about what he was supposed to do and when to do it. Soon, the end of January was close at hand, and still Ed had not found the strength to confront Al with the truth.

"You're going to have to tell him sooner or later," Solaris reminded him one evening. "The sooner you tell him, the more time he'll have to get used to the idea. Isn't that kinder than lying to him?"

Ed had no reply. He had no answers, no plan. What was he going to do?

At last, almost four weeks after the attack on Azkaban, Selim stepped in. "Edward, you need to tell him."

"I'm going to!"

"Today. Go to the Shack and tell him. The longer you dawdle, the harder it will be for both of you."

Ed opened his mouth in protest, "But-"

"Selim's right. Just go and get it over with," Kateus affirmed.

Solaris stroked the side of his face. "You can do it. It'll be okay."

Still, the three of them had to half-drag him to the Whomping Willow.

"We'll wait here," said Selim.

"But, I-"

"Go on," whispered Solaris, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

Slowly, Ed approached the tree. Hindering the swaying branches with a Freezing Charm, he pressed the special knot on the trunk and descended into the passage. As he made himself keep walking, he wished the darkness would swallow him so that he would never have to reach the end of the tunnel. Maybe Al wouldn't be in, or maybe the presence of some other Order member would prevent Ed from speaking freely. All too soon, he found these theories to be empty hopes; Al was quite alone in the Shack, and he immediately noticed Ed upon entry.

"Brother!" He scooped up his older brother in a crushing hug, but Ed barely felt the physical discomfort next to how much agony his heart was in. "It's been a while since you came to visit. Have you been really busy?"

"Y… yeah," Ed stammered, choosing simply to answer the question. "Lots of homework to make up for."

"Oh. That's kind of harsh, considering you were so badly hurt and all."

"Umbridge wouldn't even let my _death_ be an excuse, so being comatose for a month counts for nothing with her."

"She sounds pretty mean."

"Teacher's a saint next to that hag."

"Wow… is it really that bad?"

"The woman is more evil than Voldemort!" Ed caught himself before elaborating on his encounter with the Dark Lord, knowing _that_ wasn't the most prudent way to begin his truth-telling.

"Ed? Is something on your mind?"

The elder Elric wanted to respond with his usual defensive technique of, "No, Al. I'm fine," but that would only delay the inevitable. "…Yeah, there is. I just… I'm not sure how to start."

"Okay. Well, take your time," said Al. Ed glanced around the small house, as if the right words would appear to him if he looked hard enough. He couldn't help but notice that his little brother had really cleaned up the Shack. Ed wasn't all that surprised; Al always had been the tidier one. At last, he let his gut lead.

"You, um… you know how you told me about what happened… at Azkaban?"

Al nodded. "I've still been thinking about that. Some things still don't add up."

"Like?"

"There were definitely times before where the Homunculi held back in their attacks because I was a sacrifice, but none of them ever actively _protected_ me. Lust even tried to kill me the first time we met. So then, why did Wrath put himself in danger for my sake like that? I don't even know what happened to him after that. For all I know, the dementors…" he shuddered.

"He's fine." Ed knew he couldn't stall. The urge to come clean was growing stronger by the second.

Al tilted his head in surprise. "What makes you say that? How do you know?"

Ed gulped; the moment of truth had arrived.

"Because… because you're looking at him."

One second. Two... five… and Al just stared uncomprehendingly at his big brother. Ed almost wondered if his soul had been pulled away, but then…

"What… are you talking about, Ed? You… you can't be serious. You're messing with me."

Ed shook his head, and a helpless smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I'm Wrath, or… I _was_, that night, thanks to Envy and some Polyjuice Potion on steroids."

Al reeled, sinking into an armchair. "But… I don't understand. Ed… why? Why would you…?"

"That bit wasn't my idea. The others decided disguising me was the safest option."

"But, why were you even there in the first place?" Al asked, his voice unsteady. "Why did you just refer to the Homunculi as 'the others,' as if… as if you're on _their_ side? That's crazy… right?"

"Al…" Ed bit his lip, but he had to keep going. He slowly unfastened his sweater and shirt as he forced the words out. "Al, while I was in that coma… I had a long talk with the Homunculus. He told me that your blood seal was weakening, that you were going to die if I didn't do something. So…" A narrow stretch of skin now showed down the length of his torso in-between the folds of his open shirt. "So, he made me an offer… and I took it."

He pulled the fabric aside, and hearing Al's horrified gasp was like being impaled by Kimblee again. "Ed! What have you done to yourself?"

Ed barely had time to put in, "It's Lust's handiwork, actually," before Al was on his knees in front of his elder brother, running a trembling finger over the burn. "It only hurt right when she cut into me," he added lamely.

Al grabbed Ed's shoulders in order to brace himself. "What… what was the offer?" When there was no immediate reply, Al shook him roughly. "WHAT DID YOU DO, ED?"

He had never heard this tone in Al's voice before. Even the boggart apparition had not exuded anger this… raw. Ed pushed past the lump in his throat and confessed the truth. "I… I sold myself to him. For my submission, he's promised to get your body back, to remove Dad's curse of immortality, to-"

"YOU IDIOT!" Al shoved him to the floor, as if enough physical force could bring his brother to his senses. "WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO DO THAT, ED?"

"Wh… what possessed me?" Ed couldn't explain why, but he laughed. "That's obvious, Al. Father possessed me. He won me over."

"NO! I WON'T ACCEPT THAT! I WON'T LOSE YOU TO THEM!"

"You're over a month too late for that, Al. I made the deal Christmas night."

Al's armor rattled as he shook with a whirlwind of emotions. "Then… you lied to me? On New Year's…?"

"I had to," Ed tried to explain. "Up until recently, I was forbidden from telling you about this."

"I'm your brother!"

"And I'm their slave." How was he so calm? He had thought he would be yelling, too, but his recognition of his situation somehow instilled a quiet apathy in him. "They give orders, and I follow them… like an obedient dog."

"So you attacked Azkaban on their command? You released Voldemort's followers? You _fought_ me, _lied_ to me?

"I did what I had to. I did it for _you_, Al."

"WHO EVER SAID YOU _HAD_ TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME?"

"Because it's my responsibility to protect you, whatever the cost."

"I DON'T WANT MY BODY BACK IF IT'S GOING TO HURT YOU LIKE THIS!"

Ed finally raised his voice, "It's you or me, Al! We can't _both_ get off scot-free! Equivalent Exchange doesn't work that way!" After a deep, calming breath, he continued, "And I'm not letting _you_ pick which one of us gets off easier. I won't let you die, Al, even if that costs me my life."

Al clenched his fists as a heavy silence stretched between them.

Ed hung his head. "I… I knew you'd be angry… and I know it won't be easy for you to adjust to this, but… it's the way things are going to have to be for a little while longer. You won't lose me to them forever, Al. I'm going to make things right."

He left a pause, waiting for some response from his little brother, but… nothing. "Al? Can you… can you at least accept _that_?"

After almost another whole minute of tension, Al faced the opposite wall so that Ed could only see his towering back, and he finally spoke.

"…I… I need to be alone. Please… please leave."

"But, Al-"

"Just go." The metallic voice quivered with disappointment and betrayal.

Ed reached out for the armored hand. "Al, please-"

"Don't touch me! Go! GET OUT!"

It was like Al had just stabbed him… like Al had just killed him. With those words, something broke between them; the incident in Central Hospital all those months ago had been nothing next to this. No matter how forgiving of a person Al was, he was still a human, and like every human, he had a limit, a boundary in his heart beyond which those few things deemed "unforgivable" were placed. And Edward… had just been put there. Al couldn't forgive him; Ed could hear it in his voice.

Feeling as fragile as a china plate, Ed forced one foot in front of the other and left his brother alone in the cold darkness of the Shrieking Shack. He barely made it ten feet along the earthen passage before he fell to his knees. As the sobs racked his body, he longed to scream, to cry out, to show Al how strong his longing for reconciliation was, but he bit his tongue and held it in. It took so much effort that he couldn't take another step. Instead, he curled up in the dirt, knowing he deserved to die for causing his little brother so much pain.

Eventually, the shadows thickened.

"Edward?" Selim's voice echoed. "Did you tell him?"

The boy's half-audible moans of grief were answer enough.

"I see. Well, I guess it couldn't be helped. Come along now." The darkness wrapped around him like a blanket, carrying him to the other end of the tunnel. Once the shadows deposited him on the topsoil a little distance from the Whomping Willow, once Ed could be sure that Al wouldn't hear him, his strength shattered. Selim and Kateus instantly stepped back, not at all sure how to handle the Fullmetal Alchemist in tears. Ed buried his face in his hands; he had _never_ cried like this before, not even when he had first lost Al to the Portal. Eventually, he registered the presence of a warm hand on his shoulder. Solaris, instead of staying back like her brothers, had seated herself in front of him. With her other hand, she ran a finger along his cheek, interrupting the flow of salty liquid down his face.

"I… I went too far," Ed choked. "It won't… _we_ won't ever be the same."

She enfolded him in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Edward. All I can hope is that, when his body is restored, he'll change his mind."

"No… He'll never… _ever_ forgive me; I know it."

He could feel her smiling sadly. "Ever the pessimist, my Fullmetal boy." She kissed the side of his head. "Go on and let it out. It's nothing to be ashamed of; even _you_ can't bottle up your emotions forever."

Her words… they were so similar to the ones Al had said to him the night the boggart had terrified him. It was too much. He gripped her tightly and sobbed his heart out into her shoulder. Selim and Kateus left him in her care, knowing she was most capable of handling him in this state. For the first time, Ed was glad that she stayed by his side, that – for selfish reasons or not – she needed him so much, because now… he needed her, too.

* * *

A/N: Why do I have the song "Past the Point of No Return" from _The Phantom of the Opera_ playing in my head? It's not applicable at all (other than the title)!

Wow, it feels like it's been so long since Harry was in the story… Selim learned all that stuff about the connection and Neville's parents from spying. Shadow powers are excellent for spying.

Remember how the wand didn't reject the Homunculi in Chapter 11? Blood ties + inhuman qualities + raw power = Homunculi can use Ed's wand.

Ed, having accepted that the Al he spoke to in his coma was an illusion from Father, now admits that it was Father he was talking to the whole time.

I really hope Al doesn't seem OOC… everyone has a breaking point, and – after being so far from Ed physically – for Ed to betray the "good guys" so utterly, that slap in the face pushes Al over the edge. There are those canon moments where he gets angry at Ed about things, so I just revved that up a few notches on the rage spectrum.

To succinctly explain the SolEd relationship from this point until… like… the _end_, it's based on mutual emptiness, on taking from each other, which only leaves both feeling unsatisfied, which leads to more taking. It's not a healthy relationship at all… make more sense? That's why you should be cautious about liking Solaris.


	22. A Rut of Self-Destruction

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I shall reassure you that the Elric Brothers will make up… eventually… Heartbreak like that is tough, even for strong guys like Ed and Al.

I'm not so cruel as to put in several chapters with blank pages like _New Moon_, but you can imagine a similarly lackluster existence for Ed in the months immediately following the rift between him and Al.

**RANDOM**: I went back through the chapters to edit and standardize a few things like remembered or imagined words. They are all now italicized in quotes that are also italicized, like this: _"These are the words."_

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**A Rut of Self-Destruction**

"Mr. Elric, are you paying attention?"

Ed's distant gaze came into focus on the professor's plump, toady face long enough for him to reply, "Yes, ma'am." As soon as she moved on, however, he returned to his previous occupation of staring into space.

"Come on, Ed," whispered Michael from the row in front of him. "Exams are in less than two months. You should at least be _trying_ to listen."

"Don't care," Ed sighed. He just wanted this class to be over. He wished he didn't have to go to classes at all, that he could just lie in bed and do nothing… because that was all he felt like doing. If not for his dormmates' insistence, that was probably where he would spend the majority of his time.

It was early April now, a little over two months since he'd come clean with Al… since their bond as brothers had been shaken like never before. Ed hoped that their friendship hadn't been severed completely, but doubt ate away at him, affecting every part of his life at Hogwarts: DA meetings, classes, homework… none of it seemed to matter anymore.

Anthony said he was like acting like an inferius, and the description wasn't that far off. He found it difficult, even painful, to find the energy to eat or sleep or talk. The only times when his emotional capacity ventured beyond apathy was when Solaris stirred up those phantasmal desires and instincts, but even those flutters didn't last long. It was almost like the rush from a narcotic drug. He'd built up a tolerance to her numbing influence, but it took more concentration or motivation than he usually felt like mustering; he wanted to feel again, even if that meant letting Solaris largely have her way with him. So, in the end, he had become a sort of plaything of hers, so drained of emotion that she had to pump it into him.

Solaris might have found a way to make the most of Ed's depression, but the other Homunculi were not so lenient. Selim told Ed he should shape up every time they passed in the corridors, and Kateus formulated the theory that Ed's lethargic attitude was because the pipsqueak was challenging Lenost's spirit. Ed ignored both of them – a tactic which Kateus didn't take very well.

Ed finally realized just how much his slump pissed off the shapeshifter after that very Defense Against the Dark Arts class, when the Homunculus cornered him in a lonely dungeon corridor. Solaris had agreed to let Ed have time to himself periodically in the hope that this would somehow improve his spirits, but Kateus had noticed the pattern and seized his opportunity. He brought Malfoy in tow (the pale Slytherin had accepted his temporary role as lackey), which told Ed the Homunculus was planning to make him some kind of entertainment. The weird thing was… he didn't care.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm really getting sick of this lazy stunt, Smallric. You're not garnering any pity from anyone."

"Not… the point."

Kateus scoffed. "You humans are so pathetic. You put all your faith in others, and when they turn their backs on you, you fall apart. Completely predictable."

"I can't wait until it happens to Potter," Malfoy snickered.

"Shut your face, Draco," said Kateus, earning a frightened nod from the Slytherin.

_Oh, how the mighty have fallen_, Ed thought absentmindedly.

After checking that the corridor was indeed deserted, Kateus loomed over the small blonde. "Snap out of it, pipsqueak."

Ed felt a tug somewhere in his diaphragm, but it was faint. And that was when he realized… He gave the shapeshifter a fake smile and said, "I think… I just found… the limit."

"What are you babbling about?"

"The limit… of the contract."

Kateus cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"You… can't control… emotions. Only Solaris… can do that. That's why… Father picked her… to watch me… isn't it?"

The Homunculus sneered. "So that brain of yours _is_ working some." He grabbed the front of Ed's shirt and nearly lifted him from the ground. "But, even _she_ hasn't been able to shake you out of this slump of yours. Maybe what we need is a change in your treatment plan."

The first blow stung a little, but Ed was numb by the fifth. It was almost like he was watching it happen to someone else. Kateus smacked, punched, and slapped, but Ed barely reacted at all.

"Quit feeling so sorry for yourself! So your brother cut you off – so what! You don't need him, or any of the other humans. A dog like you doesn't need any family or friends. All you need to do is follow orders, so obey me and snap out of it!"

"…Can't…"

"Don't give me that crap! I'm going to make you obey me if I have to beat it out of you!"

But Ed didn't give an inch. As Kateus continued the onslaught, Ed caught a glimpse of Malfoy's face… and he saw something curious. The Slytherin was wincing, not mockingly, but empathetically. A bully and a prick he might be, but even _he_ could see how depraved the Homunculi were next to him. He might even have been feeling sorry for Ed. In that moment, Ed had the hunch that, a Death Eater's son or not, Draco wouldn't end up a cold-blooded killer in this war.

Eventually, Kateus accepted that he wasn't getting anywhere. Ed hung limply in his grasp as the Homunculus snarled, "If I don't see any improvement in you soon, pipsqueak, I gonna give you another lesson from the School of Hard Knocks. Got it?"

Ed gave a feeble nod, and Kateus let go, leaving his victim in a crumpled heap.

"Oh, and don't tell Solaris that I beat you up. She'll only get mad. Honestly, it should be her fault that you haven't gotten over this yet." He turned on his heel and stormed past Malfoy down the corridor. "Come on, Draco."

"But, are you sure it's okay to just… leave him there? What if you really hurt him?"

"Why should you care?" Kateus glared.

"Well… I, uh… I just know we humans aren't as durable as you," amended Malfoy.

The shapeshifter snorted. "Damn right you aren't. He'll be fine; the runt's tougher than he looks."

Even long after the two pairs of footsteps receded into the cold echoes of the stone walls, Ed didn't try to move. Part of him wished that Kateus had dealt him some serious injury, that maybe his pain could end. A few months ago, his will to live had been a blazing bonfire, but now… it felt as small and weak as a dying ember. All he had to do was stay alive long enough to fulfill the contract, and then… well, that would depend on Al.

"Ed?" For a moment, it sounded like Al's voice, but when it continued, "Hey, guys! I found him!" he realized it was Kevin's. Ed briefly opened one eye as the four boys congregated around him.

"Wha' tha…?" gaped Terry.

"You're a mess," chided Anthony. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Ed?"

Michael and Kevin helped him sit up, and the latter immediately set about healing any damage he could find.

"What happened?" asked Michael.

When Ed gave no reply, Kevin paused in his spell-casting and begged, "Please, Ed, tell us what's going on."

"…Can't…"

"Can't what?" Anthony echoed. "Speak up."

"Can't… tell."

"Why not?" pressed Terry.

"Can't tell."

"Well, _try_," said Michael.

Ed opened his mouth, but a lump in his throat constricted his voice each time he attempted to speak. He met Michael's cold eyes and hoped that the analyst would understand without words. At last, his message seemed to get through.

"Oh."

"Oh, what?" Anthony demanded.

Michael addressed Ed as he explained, just in case he had misinterpreted, "You did something terrible, even though you had good intentions going into it – for the sake of someone close to you. But now, that person has found out – or you told him directly – and you don't think he'll forgive you for what you did."

"How'd ya gather all tha'?" Terry gawked, paying more attention to Michael's skill than to what he was actually saying.

"Observation, and a smattering of Legilimency. I'm hardly a master at the latter, but…"

"Just full… of surprises," said Ed, managing a whispered laugh.

"Who is it, Ed?" Kevin asked, concern creasing his brown forehead. "The person who-"

"Al."

"Your little brother?" checked Anthony.

Ed nodded.

"Is tha' why ya've been so down?" asked Terry.

The small blonde's doleful expression was answer enough.

"Well… can't we go and talk to Al?" Kevin suggested. "Maybe if we can-"

"No." The finality in Ed's voice was much stronger than the half-whisper he'd been using before. Gently pushing Kevin's wand and hand away, he staggered to his feet. "It's fine."

"Stubborn blockhead," Anthony berated under his breath.

Standing, Ed gave one halfhearted wave in farewell before disappearing around a corner.

* * *

Michael watched Ed's retreating back until the stone blocked his view. Then, he turned to the other three Ravenclaws. "Alphonse is somewhere close by; I caught just a brief hint of that."

"Well, then!" said Terry. "Ah donna care if Ed donna want us ta talk ta 'im; let's go!"

When Michael made no immediate reply, Anthony pointed out, "You're the one who said, 'If this matter endangers his well-being, it is our duty as his friends to help him in any way we can.'"

"So I did, but I don't think all of us should go – that would just seem aggressive. I think… one of us would be better."

"Who, then?" asked Terry.

Kevin stood with a determined face. "I'll go."

"I second that," said Michael. "Kevin's the closest to Alphonse's age – maybe that will be an advantage."

"So… what am I supposed to say?"

"I don't think he knows how devastated Ed's been the past few months. Just… tell him what the situation is."

"Right."

"But, what good will that do if we don't know where this little brother is?" Anthony pointed out.

Michael got to his feet and brushed off his robes. "I've noticed that, whenever we pass the Whomping Willow, Ed looks at it almost longingly. It's a fair bet that Alphonse is in the Shack; it would be an excellent hideout."

"Okay, then," affirmed Kevin. "It can't hurt to check. Classes are done for the day… I'll go right now."

"Just don't be followed," advised Anthony.

"Got it," noted Kevin as he took off along the hallway.

"And, as for us," Michael transitioned, "I think we should keep our eyes and ears especially open. There's something going on in Hogwarts that just doesn't… feel right."

"_You_, going on intuition?" gawked Anthony. "Oh, Merlin help us. Now, I know the world's coming to an end."

"Don't be daft. A good detective should rely on hunches, especially when there isn't a plethora of readily-available evidence."

"Yeah, thank ya, Sherlock," teased Terry. "Ah hope Kevin'll be able ta get through ta Al, and then Ed 'n' him can make up. I really miss tha old Ed."

Michael sighed. "I think that speaks for all of us."

* * *

Kevin successfully made it into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, and, as soon as the passage grew tall enough for him to stand, he practically ran. When he hoisted himself out of the trapdoor into the dark living room, he looked around before whispering, "Hello? Is anyone in here?"

"Yes." He heard the clank of metal, and the shape of a suit of armor emerged from the shadows. Kevin had, of course, heard the story about Ed and Al's failed attempt to resurrect their mother, but it was still a bit of a shock to hear such a young voice come out of that huge body.

"Y… you're Alphonse, right?"

Al tilted his head in recognition and confusion. "How'd you know that? Who are you?"

"Kevin. I'm friends with… with Ed."

The armor sagged a little. "Oh." After an awkward pause, Al asked. "So, why are you here?"

Remembering Michael's instructions, Kevin squared his shoulders and said, "I don't know what Ed did – and I don't need to know – but even a blind man could see that this rift between you and him… it's hurting him, maybe even killing him."

"What do you mean?" Even though Al attempted to sound callous, Kevin could still detect concern in the metallic voice.

"He doesn't sleep, Solaris basically has to force-feed him to get him to eat, and he goes whole days where he doesn't speak two words to anyone."

Kevin barely finished this explanation before Al grabbed his upper arms with a jolt. "What did you say?"

"He... he doesn't-"

"No, about Solaris. That monster is _here_?"

Kevin felt quite befuddled. Solaris was superficial and a little snobby, but not monstrous. "Uh… yes? She's Ed's girlfriend."

"WHAT?" Al ran a gloved hand over his helmet, as if dragging it through invisible hair. "Then… she was the girl I saw with Ed before! Stupid! Why didn't I recognize her?"

"Why are you so upset about it? Solaris is usually quite kind to Ed, especially since… well, since he became so depressed."

"I find that hard to believe," Al scoffed.

"Well," said Kevin, struck with an idea, "why don't you come up to the castle and see for yourself? She's almost always with Ed. He was in the dungeons a little while ago…"

As if accepting some daring challenge, Al nodded. "All right. I will." And, without another word, he strode past Kevin and dropped into the tunnel. As he watched the spot when Al's head had disappeared, Kevin hoped that his suggestion would do more good than harm.

* * *

Rather than return to the Common Room, Ed slipped into an out-of-the-way classroom in the dungeons. He didn't even have the energy to lock the door; he merely slumped in the most shadowy corner of the room and stared at the blankest wall. Eventually, Selim or Solaris would find him, but, until then, he wasn't going to move another muscle.

After some considerable length of sleepless time, he heard noise outside the door: the sound of heavy feet and an unmistakable clank. Could it be…? He held his breath as the knob rattled, and Alphonse stepped inside. When the brothers finally made eye contact, Al was the first to speak.

"I've been looking for you for hours. You sure picked a hard-to-find spot. If Kevin hadn't said you had last been seen in the dungeons, I might never have found you."

"Sorry…"

Al seemed slightly taken aback by how defeated his brother's voice sounded, but he pushed forward. "So… what's this Kevin tells me… about 'Solaris'?"

Ed's brow furrowed. "He _did_… talk to you, then?"

"Yes. Are you going to answer my question?"

"What about her?"

"What do you mean, 'what about her?'" Al demanded, raising his voice. "She's a Homunculus, Ed! She shouldn't even be in the castle, let alone on your arm!" He then crossed his arms as he sighed, "But, then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised… since you're on _their_ side now."

Ed's gut twisted, but he felt a need to defend himself surging inside. "It's not like that."

"Then, tell me: how's it like?"

"I hate them, and they hate me, but we're still scratching each other's backs."

"And yet, you somehow ended up on the bottom."

"Equivalence – I've been promised a lot-"

"'Promised'? What guarantee do you have that they'll actually deliver? That they aren't just using you?"

"If they weren't absolutely serious about their end of the bargain, the contract would be void, and they would have no control over me," Ed reasoned, his voice growing stronger with use.

Having received a sufficient response on that point, Al backtracked. "Is she the only Homunculus here?"

"No. Envy, Pride, and Sloth are here, too – going by Kateus, Selim, and Lenost. They're all spying on the wizards, but Lust also watches me and… well…" He hoped he wasn't blushing as he thought about Solaris's many attempts to produce emotion in him during the past few months. Whether he did or not, Al picked up on the unspoken element.

"What's she done to you?"

"Nothing… much." Ed brushed his lank bangs away from his face in an attempt to distract himself, but this only drew Al's attention to the lingering bruises on his forehead and neck from Envy's thrashing.

"You're hurt."

"It's not important. I don't know what Kevin told you, Al, but there's no need for you to get involved."

"If those monsters are hurting you, you had better believe I'm going to get involved!" Taking a calming breath, Al continued, "Just because I'm angry about your foolish choices doesn't change the fact that you're my brother, Ed. I told you before that nothing you could ever do would make me hate you… and I still stand by that."

What was Al saying? Had Ed overreacted about his brother's temper after all? Was there a chance that Al could, at least, come to terms with the temporary situation? The feeble flicker in his heart sparked with hope, but his stubborn defenses refused to submit. He plastered what was supposed to be a convincing smile on his face as he said, "I'm fine, Al, really."

"No, you're not!" It was obvious that the elder Elric wasn't fooling the younger for a second. "They're making your life miserable, aren't they?" No reply. "_Aren't they_?"

Ed hung his head in silent acknowledgement. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Al's hand move slightly in his direction, hesitant to offer comfort, but before either brother could make a move, the door slammed open to reveal… Kateus.

"There you are!" he snarled, storming across the room to where Ed and Al stood. "Why didn't you come when I called?" he demanded of the small blonde.

Ed shrugged. "I didn't hear anything."

WHACK! Kateus left a fresh bruise on Ed's right cheek and grabbed the front of the boy's shirt.

"Lazy dog," he hissed.

"Hello to you, too, Envy…" Ed managed. Honestly, hadn't Kateus been enough of a literal pain for one day?

Al took a moment to digest the Homunculus's appearance, but then he wasted no time in coming to Ed's aid. "Get away from my brother! I won't just stand by while you hurt him!"

"Oh, is that so?" Kateus snorted, stifling a laugh. He raised an eyebrow and gave Al a dangerously crazed look. "And, what are you going to do about it, huh? Because you should know by now that I could force Ed here to attack you – kill you without any hesitation – if I felt like it."

Al took a step back in shock. "You… you wouldn't."

"Care to test me?"

The younger Elric clenched his fists in frustration, but remained in place. "…No…"

"Then don't interfere." With that, he glared down at Ed once more. "Now, as for you…" He slapped the small blonde with the back of his free hand as he growled, "When I give you an order, you are supposed to obey it! Excuses like 'I didn't hear anything' just aren't good enough! Got that, pipsqueak?"

Ed knew he was going to get another beating no matter what he said; Kateus was just in that sort of mood. Still, he wasn't just going to give in, not with Al standing only a few feet away. He kindled a bit of his old fire into his golden eyes as he answered Kateus's question. "…Yeah, I got it."

Veins throbbed across the Homunculus's pale forehead; it was quite clear that he didn't like to see that stubborn spark reappear. What with Ed's recent slump, it must have been infuriating. "Why is it…" he wondered with an angry rumble, "that no matter what hell we put you through, you still look at us with those defiant eyes?"

"Because…" Ed tried to stand a little straighter as he spoke, "Because I don't give up. I can't – not when there's someone counting on me to make it through this." Again, his conversation with Al's real body came back to him: _"Things are going to get much, much worse, but you can push through, I know it. And I'll be waiting right here until you bring me home."_

_Just you watch, Al. I'm going to keep that promise; you'll see._

* * *

Alphonse hated his trapped position as the scene unfolded. He was glad that his presence seemed to be putting some fight back into Ed, but every blow Envy landed on the small blonde was echoed in Al's own guilt. _All this… for me?_

"…Brother…" he whispered regretfully. He wanted to charge in there and pound "Kateus" to a pulp, but if he tried, who knew what the Homunculus might make Ed do as a consequence?

Kateus spat on the floor in response to Ed's little monologue. "Nice speech, pipsqueak, but if you've got that much strength left, that just makes your recent depression all the more inexcusable." He roughly shoved Ed to the ground before snapping, "You make us hunt around this castle for ages, and you're skulking in a corner? Then, when I finally catch up to you, you spew some crap about 'not giving up'? Make up your mind!"

Ed opened his mouth to retort, but a swift kick to his middle left him breathless on the floor.

"Ed!" Al took one step toward his brother only to receive a sharp glare from Kateus.

"Don't make me tell you again, little boy," the Homunculus snarled. Pushing past Al, he placed his foot on top of Ed's ribcage to hold him down. The small blonde groaned in pain as the pressure steadily increased.

"K… Kateus… can't… breathe…"

"Hmm?" mocked the shapeshifter, cupping a hand around his ear. "What was that?"

Ed tried to repeat himself, but he couldn't get enough air. His eyes rolled up as the color drained from his face.

"Stop it, please!" Al cried. "You'll kill him!"

As if in response to this plea, a young woman's voice shook the room. "KATEUS! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Framed in the doorway and looking livid was the girl Al had seen at Ed's side before: Solaris.

Kateus threw his sister an annoyed, yet smug glance. "I'm playing with the dog – what's it look like?"

"GET OFF OF HIM, RIGHT NOW!" She pointed out the door in a silent command: _"Get out."_

"Okay, okay," huffed Kateus. "Keep your hair on; I'm going."

He forced a final wince out of Ed before he removed his foot and stomped toward the exit. As he passed his sister, she grabbed the crook of his arm and hissed, "If I get even an inkling that you're hurting him again, I'll flay you alive."

"Pssh. Touchy…"

Once Kateus had disappeared from sight, Solaris crossed the room to where Ed lay. Al had gotten there first and scooped up his brother in his arms; as the girl who was really Lust approached, Al held Ed close, protectively.

"Keep back," he warned.

Solaris laughed softly. "It's all right, Alphonse. I'm not going to hurt him. How about you hand him over to me?"

"No," replied Al. "You can't tell me what to do."

"That's true; I can't give _you_ orders," considered Solaris. Her violet gaze then fell upon the elder brother. "Edward, come here."

Immediately, Ed began to struggle against Al's grasp. "Let go, Al," he said softly. "It's okay."

Al was dead-set that it was _not_ okay, but he slackened his grip all the same. Ed tried to stand at first, but Solaris quickly sat and caught him before he fell from exhaustion.

"Silly. That's what happens when you're this worn out," she chided. "You really should try to take better care of yourself."

Ed mumbled a halfhearted "Okay" as she laid his head in her lap. She slipped his wand out of his pocket and whispered a Healing Charm over his remaining injuries, all the while watching Al out of the corner of her eye. The younger Elric was honestly confused; Kevin's claim that Solaris was kind was proving at least superficially valid, but Al just couldn't bring that to terms with the monster that had tried to kill him and Lieutenant Hawkeye all those months ago. Homunculi couldn't just change like that… right? Greed was an exception because he had rebelled. So, what did it mean?

"You look like you want to ask me something," noted Solaris as she put back Ed's wand.

"I… uh, yeah, but…"

"While you're thinking…" Her attention then turned back to Ed. "Does anything still hurt?"

"Not really," Ed muttered. "But, somehow, I still feel like crap."

"Well, I have a remedy for that." She leaned down and, much to Al's utter shock and horror, kissed Ed full on the mouth. What was more alarming was that Ed responded in kind, pushing up into the embrace… as if he enjoyed it. Once they broke apart, Ed rested his head back on her leg with a faint smile on his face, like her touch had put him in a trance. Solaris placed another kiss on his Adam's apple and whispered, "Go to sleep. You need it." He closed his eyes at once, and, within seconds, his breathing had fallen into a steady rhythm.

After a moment of silence, Al spoke. "It's wrong. You monsters controlling him like that… like he's your puppet. It's wrong."

"Maybe it is, but we do it all the same."

"That's because you're evil."

Solaris let slip a soft giggle. "My, my, you're even more naïve than Ed. How cute." She stroked Ed's head tenderly, and yet, possessively. Al tried to put these pieces together and make a conclusion about her "relationship" with his brother, but, in the end, he finally had to ask a question.

"He's just a toy to you, isn't he?"

Solaris smiled, running her fingers through the golden hair. "Maybe." After a pause, she added, "I have to thank you, though."

"Whatever for?"

"When you and Ed quarreled, that drove him to me. It would have taken longer for me to wrap him around my finger without that help, so thank you."

Al didn't feel complimented at all; he felt disgusted. "So, you just use him. You don't really care about him at all."

"That isn't true," she retorted. "I care… in my own way."

"But, you don't love him. You can't; you're a Homunculus."

Solaris raised an eyebrow. "That sounds overly black-and-white, Alphonse. Are you saying that we are incapable of love?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If you _could_ love, you'd see how much pain you cause, and you'd turn on that Father of yours."

"Perhaps…" She mulled over his words for a few moments before replying, "But it's not that simple. There are other factors that drive us: loyalty, pride… I suppose what you really mean is that any love we might be able to muster isn't enough to overcome those other motivations." She caressed Ed's cheek, and he sighed in his sleep. "My… desire for Edward would never induce me to betray Father."

"There, you said, 'desire'. That's not love; that's selfishness."

"Quite the little philosopher, aren't you?" chuckled Solaris. "Fine. I'm selfish. I want to keep your brother all to myself for my own carnal pleasures. Happy?"

Al's inner frown of angry displeasure radiated from his metallic shell. "Now you're just telling me what I would expect to hear." He stood, fed up with her round-about reasoning. "Love is caring about Ed's good ahead of your own, putting him before yourself… and that's what you seem incapable of doing."

He meant to leave it at that, but just before he stepped over the threshold, he heard Solaris speak. "What difference would it make? He'd never love me back, not really. All I can do is channel my own desire into him and let it come back to me; none of it's really from him. He hates me, and he has every reason to. After what I've done… " She gulped. "You'd probably tell me I'm simply not worthy of his love."

Al looked at her over his shoulder and was surprised to see a hint of genuine regret in her misted eyes. "I probably would," he admitted. "If you're certain that it's what you've done that secures Ed's hatred for you, then… didn't you do it to yourself?"

"That's the real kicker, isn't it?" She laughed in spite of herself. "You humans can change so easily, you can learn from your mistakes and make yourselves better. I can understand why Envy is so jealous of that quality. If I _could_ change, then maybe things could be different between Ed and me… but the reality is I can't." She rested her forehead against Ed's, her dark hair hiding her face from view, but Al could tell by her trembling shoulders that she was crying. It was a rather pitiful sight, but Al knew that she was the one making herself so miserable, and that somehow kept him from feeling sorry for her.

Al quietly closed the door behind him on his way out. It was still only the early hours of the morning, he had plenty of time to slip back to the Shack. Mad-Eye had warned him not to be seen by anyone who might pass the news on to Umbridge; the ex-Auror was sure that "that devilish hag" wouldn't treat Al like a human because of his unusual body, and that would almost certainly mean she'd try to have him killed or dissected… or both.

The younger Elric was so consumed in these thoughts that he nearly walked into a small creature at his feet: a house elf. Al had tried to befriend Kreacher at Grimmauld Place (with no success), but this house elf looked much more pleasant.

"Pardon Dobby, sir," he squeaked. "Harry Potter asked Dobby to look for his friend, to make sure he was all right."

"What's the name of this friend of Harry's?"

"Ed, sir."

"You don't have to call me 'sir,'" Al noted. "Ed's… okay. I just saw him. You can tell Harry he's okay."

"Dobby'll do that, sir."

"Oh!" Al thought aloud, struck with an idea. "Dobby? Could you tell him something else?"

"Yes, sir," the house elf beamed, waiting for further instructions.

"Please tell him that, no matter what impression Ed might give, he really needs his friends right now."

Dobby nodded and, with a snap of his fingers, Disapparated.

* * *

Ed couldn't quite explain it, but, when he woke up in his bed later that morning, he somehow felt… better. The talk with Al hadn't been a complete reconciliation, but… it was a start. At least they seemed to better understand each other, and they were determined to stand together despite this most recent barrier in their friendship.

It was Saturday, so all of Ed's dormmates were still asleep as he slipped out of bed. He took a long, warm shower, resolving to let his doubts and depression wash down the drain. It wasn't as bad as he'd made it out to be after all. Al didn't hate him, even after he must have felt so betrayed by Ed's actions. That little brother of his… really was amazing. Ed tried to imagine what he would have done in Al's position, but that hypothetical scenario brought to mind something he'd said to Al back in Grimmauld Place: _"You've always been like that, Al – believing the best about people, giving them second chances… It's a great quality and all… but I don't have it."_ It was true; he didn't forgive easily… but he had managed to let go of his grudge against Hohenheim – that had to count for something, right?

At last, Ed turned off the showerhead and stared at the tile, drops of water streaming from the tips of his bangs and forming little rivers across his line of sight. But, what he really saw was a rerun of his actions over the past several months, all the way back to when everything had been so much simpler, before Father had latched onto his mind. He'd told himself to move on so many times, but now… he actually did it. He put all of those memories in a box and shut the lid. The end was close now; he could feel it in his gut. It wouldn't be much longer, and he'd be free, and Al… Al would be safe.

When he returned to the entrance of Ravenclaw Tower, the bronze doorknocker asked: "What is the power greater than Death?"

Maybe it was his renewed state of mind, but Ed found that the answer came to him easily. "Love: it keeps the dead with us even when they've passed on."

"Your reasoning is sound," approved the knocker, and the door swung open. After stepping inside, Ed noticed Solaris sitting in an armchair on the far side of the Common Room. As he approached, he saw how red and bleary her face was, like she'd been crying a lot.

"What's the matter with you?" he ventured.

She held out a hand for his, and he – in a moment of compassion – obliged. She sniffed before looking him in the eyes. "Tell me you love me," she choked.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "You know it won't mean anything."

"I want you to say it anyway. I want you to say it like you _do_ mean it."

He set his jaw. It was an unfair order, and a cruel one at that – cruel to both of them. Still, what else could he do? He sank to his knees and cupped his free hand around her cheek, wiping away the traces of her tears. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he whispered, "I love you." The sincerity with which he said it only made its true emptiness seem unkinder, but Solaris still managed a weak smile in response.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed, "Thank you."

_Thanks for what?_ he marveled. _I just lied to your face under coercion, and you know it. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You keep wanting or expecting me to be something I'm not, and that just leaves you feeling disappointed. I know I went along with it for a while because I had forgotten how to have emotions on my own, and – if that led you on… I'm sorry. But, this has to stop; I won't give in anymore._

"There's something important I need to tell you," said Solaris.

"What?" A little trepidation leaked into the question.

She pulled back so that she could see his face. "We've picked the day… the day when we'll uphold our end of the bargain."

Ed's eyes widened; his gut had been correct after all. "Really? When?"

"You'll know it when it comes," she smiled with more of her usual teasing air. "The day for fulfilling promises."

He knew where she was leading and decided to say it first. "The Promised Day."

* * *

A/N: Sort of a cliffhanger, meh… I know this chapter is the most angtsy chapter yet, but the angst is now behind us for the most part. Action, suspense, and torture await! (…especially torture)

Terry has a Muggle parent, so he'd have heard of Sherlock Holmes (which is part of why he's so in awe of Michael – it's like he's the character come to life).

Thus is the "culmination" of my Lust-development. Bam… there it is. It still doesn't matter to me whether you feel sorry for her or not. Ed sort of does (mostly from her putting him on guilt trips), but Al doesn't at all. It's okay.

Ed in the shower again, ooooooooh… *nosebleed*

I decided for the doorknocker to spew a little fluff (fluff that actually kinda-sorta relates to the Prophecy).

I never really said this, but the Muluses have their own wands. As Homunculi, they can use any old wand, so they stole some. They just like to use Ed's, and they only use the stolen wands for their classes to keep under cover.

Because I can be such a tease, and because I need to remember my new ideas for the next few chapter titles, I'm presenting them for your viewing pleasure. Right now, I'm thinking there'll be 29 chapters… _maybe_ 30.

**Chapter 23: Discovered** – You can probably guess what this one is about

**Chapter 24: Under the Shadow** – Don't even try to guess this one XD

**Chapter 25: The Long-Awaited Storm** – You don't need to guess this one, because I'll just tell you: all **** breaks loose


	23. Discovered

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Since the last chapter was really angsty, I was driven to write this one so you wouldn't have to linger on the emo feels. This is where the action picks back up, huzzah!

Lots of these lines belong solely to J.K. Rowling and her amazing talent.

* * *

**Chapter 23**

**Discovered**

Harry was relieved that Edward seemed largely back to his old self; dealing with a cocky and rash Ed was a lot easier than handling a depressed and pessimistic Ed. The blonde (Harry didn't feel right calling Ed "small" anymore, since he was now well on his way to six feet) had returned to his leadership role in full force, even going so far as to offer openly to teach alchemy to any DA members who were up to the challenge. Tonight, however, Harry had decided to instruct on the Patronus Charm, and soon the room was full of luminant silvery animals. Ed seemed quite pleased with himself that he could produce an entirely corporeal Patronus in the form of Al's armor.

"The last time I made this wasn't exactly a friendly circumstance," he told Harry on the side. "I was kind of surrounded by dementors, actually."

"I don't think I want to know the details," the other replied.

Ed formed an expression that said, _"Fair enough," _before returning to watching the duplicate of Al tread around its Patronus fellows. "Try not to step on anyone," he advised it.

Just then, the door of the Room opened and closed again, and the pitter-patter of tiny feet brought Dobby into view.

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry greeted. "What are you…?" Then he noticed the look of terror in the elf's bulbous eyes. "What's wrong?"

Some of the surrounding DA members had realized something was amiss and forgotten about their Patronuses. The decrease in warm silvery light didn't help the element of fear that was seeping into the room.

"Harry Potter, sir…" trembled the elf, "Harry Potter, sir… Dobby has come to warn you… but the house-elves have been warned not to tell…"

With that, he charged toward the nearest wall, and Harry – acquainted with Dobby's tendencies toward self-punishment – tried to stop him, but his stack of knitted hats made by Hermione cushioned the impact and sent him flying back.

"Is he always like that?" Ed goggled.

"Usually," Harry sighed. "What's happened, Dobby?" he then asked as he restrained the elf from attempting further injury.

"Harry Potter… she… she…"

Dobby smacked himself, and Harry quickly held the elf's other arm still.

"Who's 'she,' Dobby?" But even as he asked the question, a terrible idea was forming in his head. "Umbridge?"

The elf managed a nod before trying to hurt himself again.

"What about her, Dobby?"

"Dammit, has she found out about us?" demanded Ed. "Is she coming to catch us?"

The elf shrieked and, left with no other way to inflict self-punishment, began banging his tiny feet against the stone floor. "Yes, yes!"

Harry and Ed exchanged a horrified glance before turning to the crowd of their students.

"SO, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ALL JUST STANDING THERE?" Ed shouted. "RUN!"

And, with that, pandemonium ensued.

* * *

Ed could see Harry giving some kind of instruction to Dobby, but his words were lost in the commotion of the DA members rushing the door. Even _he_ could feel panic lapping at the edges of his thoughts, but he fought to keep his head. No wanting to leave Harry alone, Ed told his dormmates to go ahead and waited until his friend was ready to go. At last, they ducked out into the corridor together. Harry glanced around as they turned to the right, no doubt looking for a potential hiding spot, but before they got far, a spell knocked Harry's legs out from under him and sent him sliding on the floor for several feet. Ed immediately halted and spun to find Malfoy emerging from under a dragon-shaped vase.

"Trip Jinx, Potter!" he said. "Hey, Professor – PROFESSOR! I've got one!"

"MALFOY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" In seconds, Ed had tackled the scrawny Slytherin. The two tussled sloppily until Umbridge came along with a squad of minions and someone pulled Ed off of his squirming victim.

"Well, well," she squeaked triumphantly. "Potter _and_ Elric! Excellent, Draco, excellent, oh, very good – fifty points to Slytherin! And, Kateus, if you would continue to restrain Elric…"

"Kateus?" Ed gaped. He tried to get a look at the Homunculus, but the shapeshifter's hold prevented him. "You traitorous bastard!"

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Smallric," hissed Kateus. As Umbridge forced Harry to his feet, the Homunculus tightened his grip on Ed and whispered, "I didn't tell her about your little gang, and that's not even the real problem. You're busted."

"What? You mean she knows about… about Amestris?"

"I don't think so, but I've let the others know. If things get rough, then our time here might be coming to an end."

Ed didn't know whether to be overjoyed or horrified at that prospect. Would the Homunculi force him to go with them? Would they keep him locked up in a dungeon until the Promised Day came?

"Kateus, bring Elric. We're going to the headmaster's office."

That brought a twinge of relief to the tempest of thoughts in Ed's head. If anyone could get them out of this mess, Dumbledore was the man. When they finally reached the office, they found it already full of people. In addition to a placid Dumbledore and a tense McGonagall were Kingsley Shacklebolt, a redheaded young man Ed assumed on a hunch was Percy Weasley (the estranged brother whose name had been said as scarcely as Voldemort's during Ed's summer at Grimmauld Place), and two wizards Ed didn't know - one of whom looked like he was the man in charge of this raid.

"Well," the boss-man said. "Well, well, well…"

"Well, what?" Ed snapped; he hated it when people rambled about nothing.

Kateus immediately reigned his captive in and hissed, "You shouldn't get involved in this. You're going to be in enough trouble with Umbridge as it is without you sticking your neck out for Scar Jr. over there."

Umbridge ignored Ed's outcry and faced her superior with Harry grasped tightly by one arm. "He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower," she said with sadistic pleasure in her voice, like a plump cat pleased with itself for finally snagging a mouse. "The Malfoy boy cornered him."

"Did he, did he?" said the man. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter… I expect you know why you are here?"

Harry's reply came out in a half-and-half state of confusion, and Ed got the feeling Dumbledore had tossed the boy a last-minute hint as to how he should respond. "Yeh- no."

"I beg your pardon?" asked the head wizard.

"No," Harry repeated, more strongly this time.

"You _don't_ know why you're here?"

"No, I don't."

The man continued to question Harry, but Ed's attention was now fixed on Umbridge, who was surveying the room with the look of a potential buyer in her new home. _Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you, toad-face?_

"So it's news to you, is it," pressed the man as he began to lose his temper, "that an illegal student organization had been discovered within this school?"

"Yes, it is," said Harry with a look of innocent surprise on his face. Ed had to hand it to his friend's acting ability.

"I think, Minister," said Umbridge, her gaze finally landing on Edward, "that we aren't asking the right person."

_So this guy's the Minister of Magic?_ Ed goggled as the addressee of Umbridge's suggestion looked at the blonde as well. _He doesn't look like much._

"Ah, yes. The mystery boy whose Trace only activated this past summer. But, what is _he_ doing here, Dolores?"

"We caught him in league with Potter. Perhaps, we are looking at the true mastermind of this insidious plot."

Ed actually laughed. "Perhaps you need to get your brain looked at, Umbridge. I'm not the mastermind type."

Umbridge pursed her plump lips. "Well, if Elric doesn't feel like talking, I can always fetch our informant."

"Yes, yes, do," said the Minister, fixing Dumbledore with a vengeful glare as Umbridge took her leave. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius."

In the wait that followed, Dumbledore's blue eyes met Ed's golden ones, and the young alchemist seemed to sense Dumbledore telling him to be silent during whatever exchange might follow. Ed gave Dumbledore a faint nod of understanding just before Umbridge returned with a girl that Ed remembered being a friend of that pretty, Xingese-looking girl, Cho. _What's her name again? Marietta, that's it._

"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Umbridge in her usual simper, patting the girl on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister, is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network – she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Cornelius enthusiastically. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's see what you've got to… galloping gargoyles!" The Minister almost leapt backward into the fire at the sight of Marietta's face, across which clusters of purple boils had spelled the word "SNEAK." Seeing how her disfigurement shocked everyone present, the girl buried her face in her robes and wailed.

"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge, impatience seeping into her voice, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister-"

When this suggestion only produced more moans of distress from Marietta, Umrbidge groaned. "Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him." After measuring her tone, she smiled at Cornelius and commenced, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her further, and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately, at that point this hex came into operation and, upon catching sight of her face in my mirror, the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."

"Well, now," said the Minister, giving Marietta a falsely paternal smile, "It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge; you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

Marietta shook her head and said nothing. Even though she had sold them out, Ed couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the girl; she must have felt pressured to come clean because her mother worked in the Ministry.

"Haven't we got a counterjinx for this?" Cornelius asked Umbridge, indicating Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one," admitted the toady witch. Ed snickered inwardly, remembering that Hermione had placed a protective jinx on the list of names for the DA; he felt honored to know such a talented individual. Just then, Ed felt Kateus pull him back a step, and then another, and another.

"This is stupid," the Homunculus whispered. "Maybe we can just slip out of here." Slowly, the two retreated from the group and edged toward the staircase. Only when they reached Kingsley and the other wizard guarding the door did the latter one speak up.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Everyone rounded on the odd pair of thug and captive, and Umbridge changed course in an instant. "Kateus, what are you doing?"

"Professor," replied the shapeshifter, and Ed could feel sweat forming on the Homunculus's hands, "I was just going to take this pipsqueak and wait at the bottom of the staircase until you're ready to interrogate him."

Umbridge frowned skeptically, but Cornelius stepped in. "Well, then, young man, by all means, do so. It's not like the boy will be going anywhere. All the same… Dawlish, why don't you accompany them?"

"Of course, Minister," complied the wizard who had spoken before.

He motioned to the staircase, and the two boys proceeded down ahead of him. As they descended, Ed heard Kateus muttering profanities under his breath. He'd never known the slick, laid-back Homunculus to get so nervous. Even though Ed was the one in trouble, he couldn't help but be amused to see his tormentor squirm.

In the hallway outside the headmaster's office, the minutes stretched on in relative silence, broken only by Dawlish clearing his throat or shifting his weight. At one point, they all heard a considerable ruckus come from above, and Dawlish raised a thick eyebrow. "What the hell's going on up there?" he mused aloud. At last, a disheveled Umbridge emerged with Kingsley in tow.

"Where is he?" she half-shrieked. "Where's Dumbledore?"

"He's gone?" Ed asked.

"Quite vanished," confirmed Kingsley.

"I bet he did it in style," Ed grinned. Kingsley winked at him genially.

"Silence!" cried Umbridge, fury pouring out of her like an overfilled cauldron. "Dawlish, take Elric! Mulus, you're dismissed! Shacklebolt, I want every Auror available scouring this castle immediately!"

Kateus hesitated for a moment before handing Ed over to Dawlish, and Ed caught an almost apologetic look in the purple eyes as the green-haired boy proceeded down the hallway and out of sight. Kingsley left as well, presumably to find a fireplace by which he could contact the Ministry and pass on Umbridge's command. After attempting to smooth down her hair, Umbridge gave her next order, "Follow me, Dawlish, and bring Elric!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Ed knew they were going to Umbridge's office long before they reached their destination. She bound Ed to a chair, just like she had last time, and told Dawlish to direct the Minister here as soon as he had finished in the headmaster's office. Once Umbridge and Ed were alone, she dropped all pretenses.

"There's nowhere for you to run this time, Elric," she snarled. "No Flitwick or Dumbledore to step in and save you, no friends to cover your tracks. Tonight, you will finally tell me everything I want to know."

"Not bloody likely," Ed snapped, adding an English accent to his retort.

Umbridge's nostrils flared, but she refrained from saying anything else until Dawlish returned with their leader.

"Right, then," said Cornelius, pulling up a chair and glowering at Ed over his interlocked fingers, "We've been meaning to speak plainly with you for some time now, young man. Thank you for finally giving us an opportunity to question you."

"You can kiss my ass," grunted the blonde.

The Minster sighed in frustration. "Dolores?"

"Don't worry, Minister. I have just the thing." She pulled a small vial of a clear liquid out of a drawer and brought it for her superior's approval.

"Ah, Veritaserum. Excellent. But, save some to use on Potter later," Cornelius advised her.

Nodding, Dolores motioned to Dawlish, and the Auror roughly pulled Ed's head back and forced the boy's mouth open. Before Ed could even cry out in alarm, Umbridge emptied half of the bottle's contents into his mouth, and as soon as she stepped back, Dawlish clamped Ed's mouth shut and pinched his nose. Only when Ed's lungs began to burn was he finally forced to swallow the tasteless liquid that the Minister had called Veritaserum: truth serum. The potion began to take effect immediately, making Ed's tongue feel strangely loose and his sense of balance lurch. Dawlish released him and Ed gasped for air, shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts.

"Now, then," said Cornelius, "Let's start with a simple question. What is your name?"

"Edward Elric," replied the owner of that designation.

"Is that an alias? Have you any other name?"

As much as Ed didn't want the words to come out, his mouth was no longer under his own control. "I'm also called The Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Is that some sort of secret code?" interrupted Umbridge.

"No."

"Then what does that mean?" demanded the Minister, waving off his Senior Undersecretary with an authoritative glance.

"It's my title as a State Alchemist."

"And what is a 'State Alchemist'?"

"An alchemist who works for the State."

"Don't try to avoid the question, boy! What do you mean when you say an alchemist, and what State hires them?"

"Alchemists are scientists who understand the flow of the universe; they comprehend matter, deconstruct it, and reconstruct it as something else." Ed had never hated the fact that he had the definition of an alchemist so well memorized before that moment. Barely pausing for a breath, he was forced to continue, "And the State is the Military, the government of Amestris."

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," snickered Cornelius, rubbing his hands together. "So, I take it this Amestris is some foreign nation?"

"Yes."

"Where is it located?"

Ed blinked. "I… I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Umbridge squeaked. "You come from there, do you not?"

"Yes, I do, but… I've never looked at a map that shows where it would be."

"You mean to say this Amestris is magically shielded?" pressed the Minister.

"Yes."

"Why is that? Do you have something to hide?"

Ed thought about the best way to answer that while saying as little as possible. "Mainly, we didn't want you wizards meddling in our business; we wanted to be left alone. But… yes, we were hiding something."

"'Were?' Why the past tense?"

"Because it came here."

The Minister's eyes widened, and his manner immediately became more hurried. "Did you have something to do with that?"

"Yes."

"Is this thing you were hiding dangerous? Is it a threat to the Ministry?"

"Yes."

"Are you in league with it?"

Gulping, Ed heard himself say, "…Yes."

As soon as the word left his lips, a faint _whoosh_ swept over him (and, from what he could tell, everyone else). _What the hell was that?_

_**The Memory Charm I had put in place is no longer needed**_, Father explained in his mind. _**Just wait there, and someone will come to get you.**_

"Well," said Cornelius, looking immensely pleased with himself, "Everything seems quite clear now. Elric is obviously one of those demons that attacked Azkaban early this year. Well? Can you deny you were there, boy?"

"No."

"That's all there is to it, then. He just confessed that he is an enemy who freed Death Eaters from Ministry custody. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if all of these ludicrous rumors about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returning have something to do with these undead beings, no doubt created through some unknown form of Dark Magic practiced in this country of Amestris. Right… Dawlish, take this monstrosity to Azkaban immediately."

The Auror nodded and, unfastening Ed from the chair, hauled the boy toward the fireplace, where Umbridge stood ready with Floo Powder. Just as they reached Umbridge, however, the door of the office opened, and in stepped Pride, tattered, panting, and furious.

"So sorry, Cornelius Fudge," said the black-haired boy as the shadows beneath him thickened and writhed, "but you won't be taking Edward anywhere."

Umbridge shrieked, "It's another one of the demons! Quick, Dawlish, kill it!"

Pride raised an eyebrow, and in another moment, a black streak had speared the Auror through the chest. Ed slipped out of the dead man's grip and stumbled toward Pride. "Took you long enough!"

The eldest Homunculus only threw Ed a dirty look in response.

Fudge had scrambled out of his chair, abject terror etched across his features. Before either he or Umbridge could recover their wits enough to attack, Pride grabbed Ed's wrist, and they ran. Just as they reached the end of the corridor, Ed heard Fudge shout an order. "Don't let them escape! Kill them if you have to!"

"Damn," cursed Pride. "A little too late to mention that; Sloth's already dead."

"What?"

"As soon as the Memory Charm lifted, the Aurors attacked us. Sloth took the brunt, being the largest of us, and all. Envy and Lust probably ran off to regroup with Father, since I was told to come get you."

"Why'd your Father send _you_ for me? I thought Lust-"

"_I_ am the ideal choice for keeping you shielded. These idiot wizards think you have the same kind of healing powers we do, so they won't hesitate to kill you, and that's something I can't let happen." As if to confirm his words, several curses shot in their direction, and Pride covered Ed just in time to protect him from them. The Homunculus winced, but kept running, leading Ed along. Finally, Pride pulled him into a broom closet, at the back of which was a large grate in the floor that probably led to a sewer pipe. Pride's shadows pulled off the covering as he said, "All right, we don't have much time. They'll catch up to us any second now."

Ed made a face. "You want me to jump in _there_?"

"Yes! They'll have sealed off the exits by now, and I'm not strong enough to make us a portal out! Down there is a place where I know we can hide! Now, get in the damn pipe, Edward!"

Even as he moved to obey, another barrage of spells hit the shadows protecting the two of them. Closing his eyes, Ed bent his knees and dropped into the darkness.

* * *

A/N: Yayz, Ed's chipper again, and the Memory Charm has been lifted! Noes, Umbridge found out about the DA and Ed, and Dumblydore has vacated the premises! So much going on…. *faceplant*

As in Chapter 14, I let Ed share some of Harry's lines (modifying them to sound more Ed-like). There was so much book content in this chapter. Even some of the narration was paraphrased from the text. Is it odd that I stuck commas where they are grammatically helpful/needed in the lines I took straight from the book? OTL

"Scar Jr." – I regret nothing TvT

Yeah, I killed Dawlish, but who's gonna mourn him, really?

Cliffhanger! But, I know exactly what's going in the next chapter, so it shouldn't take long for me to write it out (I practically wrote all of this one today).


	24. Under the Shadow

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Here we go! I'm so excited! *hurr*

Some of Pride's lines come directly from Episode 61 of _Brotherhood_.

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Joker Oak**: Dawlish wasn't a Death Eater. Yaxley (who is a Death Eater) wheedles some information out of him at the beginning of the seventh book, but that's all.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Under the Shadow**

Alphonse received a message by Patronus sometime in the early morning telling him what had happened at the school. He had felt some sort of disturbance the previous night, which the message explained had been the lifting of a Memory Charm. The Patronus also said that Al's elder brother hadn't been seen since Umbridge had taken him away for questioning. When _that_ news sunk in, Al's world spun, and he collapsed to the floor of the Shack. Ed hadn't been seen since then? What did that mean? Where was he? What had Umbridge done to him? As the Patronus faded into white mist, Al pondered what to do. According to the message, Harry had been with Ed in Dumbledore's office, which made him one of the last people to see Ed; that was a place to start. Steeling himself, Al pushed onto his feet and descended into the passageway leading toward Hogwarts.

* * *

Everything was dark, wet, and cold. Once Ed's eyes adjusted to the dimness, he could make out a green glow illuminating his surroundings. Wherever they were, it was man-made. Water churned in shallow pools as cascades poured out of snakehead-shaped fountains. At the far end of the cavernous chamber, an enormous statue of a man's face surrounded by a tangle of serpentine hair covered the wall, stretching up into the highest reaches of the darkness.

"How's your head?" asked Pride, and Ed jolted. He had been so absorbed in looking around that he had forgotten the Homunculus was there. In reaction to the dark-haired boy's question, Ed raised a hand to the side of his skull where an extremely painful throbbing pounded against his brain.

"Hurts like hell. What happened?"

"You hit it on the way down; it knocked you unconscious for almost a whole day." It was strange, in the green light, Pride looked much weaker than usual. Ed could swear he could see cracks running along the boy's chin, like telltale marks of hasty alchemy.

"What's up with your face?"

Pride immediately covered the signs of wear and frowned. "Damn, I've received _that much_ damage."

"Care to speak Amestrian? Or English, whichever…"

Pride gave Ed a thorough look-over before responding. "My container is starting to feel the stress. At this rate, it won't last much longer."

"I thought you Homunculi were these super-powerful beings! You're telling me you're already out of juice?"

"It's not like we've been recharging our Stones every day, you stupid boy! Maintaining ourselves requires energy, as does using our individual abilities and healing ourselves. We can't just soak up the magical energy around us at will, either. So, with all that's been going on, I'm reaching this container's limit. Selim Bradley's body was never meant for battle." Almost as soon as he said this, his skin began to flake and crack.

"So… will you just be a shadow all the time once your body breaks down?"

"I don't know what will happen if I don't have a container. For all I know, I may die."

"Don't expect me to mourn you, or anything."

"You shouldn't be so quick to write me off, Edward. We're going to need each other to get out of this mess alive."

Ed cocked an eyebrow, shifting his position on the cold, damp tiles. "How so?"

"It's my duty to keep you alive, since you're a sacrifice. As for you, you'll only be able to receive the rewards for your service if you are where Father needs you to be on the Promised Day, and you're more likely to get there with me protecting you. Anyway, we can't stay here forever; the Ministry will grope down here eventually."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, either way, I can't risk the chance of dying."

"Not much we can do about that, though, is there?" shrugged the blonde.

For one moment, Ed didn't understand the hungry look on Pride's face. And then, that moment passed… and Ed bolted. Before he even took a dozen steps, Pride's voice rang out through the cavern, "Come back here, Edward!"

Ed's legs complied immediately, forcing him to turn around. Pride met him halfway, his purple eyes ablaze with urgency as his face began to break apart. "As I said, this container won't last much longer." Not wasting another moment, his shadows encircled Ed and stabbed him like hundreds of tiny needles. As soon as he felt the darkness wriggling into his veins, Ed screamed and collapsed at Pride's feet. It was agony unlike anything he'd ever felt before – even Father's mental barrages hadn't affected his whole body this way.

"But," said Pride with deadly calm, "like my Father is, you are of Hohenheim's bloodline, so we're virtually brothers. Which means, Edward Elric, I can use your container. Your body belongs to me!"

Ed writhed on the floor, his throat raw from the terrified shrieks that wouldn't stop tearing out of him. When at last he managed to find his proper voice, he choked, "But… but I thought-"

"That you were intended for the role of Wrath? Perhaps, but we have to adjust our plans to fit the situation. Father understands this; he will accept my decision.

The shadows had reached his heart by now. As more and more of Pride poured into him, Ed's mind began to shut down. He extended a hand in supplication toward the Homunculus, whose body was decomposing at an increasing rate. "P… please…"

Pride narrowed his eyes in triumph. "Don't worry, Edward. Your brother and father will receive the rewards they were promised in our agreement." Crouching down and stroking Ed's pained face, he added with an arrogant smile, "And I'll make sure to take good care of my new body."

The shadows wrenched open his mouth and crawled down his throat, muffling his screams. They penetrated through his ears, his nose, his eyes, the very pores of his skin… until, at last, the pain consumed him, and everything went black.

* * *

A whole miserable month had passed since the DA had been found out and Dumbledore had fled from the school. Harry couldn't help but feel like the whole mess was his fault, since he had been the group's leader. On top of that, he'd angered Snape and been dismissed from any further Occlumency lessons, exams were just around the corner, and, as if matters weren't horrible enough under Umbridge's iron rule, Ed was still missing. Harry had even asked the new Headmistress directly what she'd done with him, but all he managed to get out of her was, "That demon will receive fitting punishment." What did that even mean? Ed wasn't a demon; he was a human being! Unable to get any sort of confirmation, Harry grumbled through his routine of classes and homework. Meanwhile, Fred and George, partly for the sake of supporting Dumbledore and partly for their own enjoyment, had begun causing all sorts of ruckus throughout the school, sending Umbridge and her cronies scrambling in all directions (much to the students' general amusement).

With everything that was going through his mind, it took Harry several moments to realize that someone was whispering at him.

"Psst! Harry. Harry, over here."

The dark-haired boy surveyed his surroundings, but all he could see were the suits of armor stationed along the hallway, just as usual. And then, one of them moved, and Harry had to stop himself from crying out.

"A… Al!" he managed.

"Shh," Al chided. "I've been trying to find a moment to talk to you for weeks now, ever since…"

"Since Ed disappeared," Harry finished as he came closer to the younger Elric.

Al nodded swiftly. "Have you heard _anything_?"

"No. Umbridge won't tell me a thing, and there hasn't been anything in the papers, either. If the Ministry has him in custody, they're keeping quiet about it."

"Blast. I need to find him, Harry."

"I know. It's hard enough for me, but you're his brother. I can't imagine how worried you must be."

"Harry? Who are you whispering to?"

Al froze and Harry straightened, but both boys' alarm was needless - it was only Ginny. She traipsed down the hallway to join them. "Hey, Al."

"Hi, Ginny."

"Talking about Ed's disappearance, I assume?"

"Yeah."

To Harry's surprise, Ginny grinned. "Well, my twin brothers are eager to find out what happened to him, too, so... they just planted an Extendable Ear in Umbridge's office. If she lets something slip, we'll know about it.

"Brilliant," breathed Harry, impressed by Fred and George's move.

"Care to go listen in?"

"You bet," said Al enthusiastically.

* * *

It certainly was annoying how frequently he had to feed this new body. Still, sneaking into the kitchens was simple enough, and the school uniform he wore was enough for a moment or two of disguise if he was seen by anyone. He tucked his blonde bangs behind his ears before biting into the chicken leg he'd just nicked. Such petty thievery felt beneath him, but his desire to survive let his dignity take a temporary back seat. He leaned against the stone frame of the high window where he sat perched as the spring sunlight warmed him – that, too, was important for keeping this body healthy, and he couldn't get any of that from down in the sewers. Just as he considered dozing off (this body seemed to need a ridiculous amount of sleep, too), he heard voices, voices that stirred the original owner of his body. He leaned over the edge of the windowsill to observe from above.

"It's just this way," said a girl with bright red hair who he remembered to be Ginny Weasley.

"I hope we'll be able to get a lead from this," sighed Harry Potter.

"So do I," said Alphonse Elric. At the sight of the armor, he felt a frantic fluttering in his heart, like a bird desperately trying to break free of its cage.

"Quiet, Edward," he chided the beating thing. As the three passed under his hiding place and out of sight, he turned to the window and examined his reflection in the glass. Even with how he'd tried to take care of the body, it looked thin and worn. He fingered the golden locks; when the Promised Day had passed, and he could do whatever he pleased with this body, this damned long hair would be the first thing to go. He'd always preferred shorter styles. Now looking through the pane, he scanned the borders of the school. They would still be magically protected; as soon as Dumbledore had learned from Snape that Homunculi were in the castle, he had put in place more specific defenses, ones that had activated shortly after the Memory Charm had been lifted. Lust and Envy would barely have had time to make it out before the school was sealed off. Damn, he was running out of time; the Promised Day wasn't long off. His only escape now would be by making a portal, but he just wasn't strong enough yet. He'd tried to build up his strength by devouring the small animals in the sewers, but he longed for the taste of a human soul, only _that_ would bolster him sufficiently. The only question was who would end up as his next meal.

* * *

"Hey, Al!" Fred and George greeted in unison, and the younger Elric returned their warm smiles.

"Looks like we're all back together, then," beamed Ginny as she looked around. Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Michael, Terry, and Kevin were seated in the room in addition to the twins, Harry, Al, and herself.

"Everyone but Ed," said Kevin dolefully.

"Tha's why Al's here," put in Terry, patting his young dormmate on the shoulder.

"Where's Anthony?" asked Harry.

The three Ravenclaw boys frowned.

"When push came to shove, he decided to follow the rules," Michael explained.

"Well, that's a prefect for ya," sighed Fred. "The whole lot's a lost cause, I'm afraid."

"Present company excluded, of course," revised George, nodding to Ron and Hermione.

"Of course," echoed the brunette.

"Are we gonna listen in to Umbridge, or not?" Ron demanded, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Right you are, little bro," said George, and, with the tap of his wand, their end of the Extendable Ear hissed to life.

"-gressing well, I think," trilled Umbridge's girlish voice, picking up mid-word. "It's a pity I wasn't able to get any information on Dumbledore or Black out of Potter, but he might still be hiding something."

"A pity indeed," said a man's voice, one Al didn't recognize.

"Who's that?"

"Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic," filled in Fred. "From the sound of it, they're chatting through the Floo Network."

"What was Umbridge talking about, Harry?" Luna asked.

"The day after Dumbledore left, she invited me to her office and made me tea. I only pretended to drink the stuff, but she started asking me questions."

"She tried to drug answers out of you?" Hermione blustered. "That demon!"

"And then, of course, there's the matter of that demon," said Umbridge almost immediately in succession, making everyone in the room jump a little.

"Ah, yes. What's the status?"

"Well, we know our Aurors succeeded in killing one of them, and two of the others slipped away from us. However… the school's defenses tell me that two of the undead beings remain hidden in the castle. That must be the small one and Elric."

"Brother!" Al cried, leaning closer to the fleshy string at the mention of Ed.

"Excellent," said Fudge. "Where?"

"Unfortunately, they can't tell me that," admitted Umbridge.

"Or _won't_," Michael tsked. "The school itself hates Umbridge and won't obey her the way it would a true headmaster or headmistress."

"Serves her right," snorted Terry, "but would some'un clue me in as ta wha' tha heck she's talking about? Callin' Ed 'undead' – wha's up wi' tha'?"

Harry and Al exchanged a glance, and the younger Elric decided to let the wizard explain things to his friends, about Ed… and the Homunculi. When Harry had finished, the room was remarkably silent, save for Umbridge and Fudge's senseless chatter in the background.

"Oh, my God," breathed Hermione at last.

"Well," said Fred, turning to his twin, "I guess there's only one thing to do, then."

"Right you are, Fred," nodded George, "We'll have to find Ed and rescue him from his Homunculi overlords."

Al blinked. "Wh… what? Just like that?"

"Well, why wouldn't we?" Ron huffed. "Bloody hell, Al, he's your brother! You really planned to sit back and let this play out?"

"I… no, I just…" but Ron had a point. Part of Al _had_ been content to let Ed do as he pleased, to wait until the Homunculi kept their promise and restored his body. Now that he had admitted it to himself, he felt ashamed.

"The only problem is: how _do_ we find him?" Michael pointed out. "If Umbridge and the Aurors haven't been able to yet…"

"Yeah, but _we_ know where to look," Fred and George grinned. "There isn't a secret passage in existence in this school that we don't know about."

"Oh, really?" scoffed Hermione. "Then how come _you two_ didn't find the Chamber of Secrets when it was such a big deal our second year?"

The twins opened their mouths to retort, but then… everyone in the room looked at each other for a long moment of realization. It was like a giant collective light bulb had just flicked on.

* * *

He woke in the comfortable darkness of the underground chamber, the shadows sliding over him like a thin blanket. Sleeping was becoming more and more troublesome; it seemed to give the boy temporary strength to fight him, and that wasn't at all appreciated.

"I told you to be quiet!" he snapped. Calming himself, he splashed water on his face and neck, letting his shadows smooth out the golden hair and refasten the braid. He rotated his right shoulder and winced slightly as the port ached. "I'll be glad to be rid of this damned automail. I'm impressed you put up with it so well all these years, Edward."

The boy's reply was lost in the tempest of the other souls inside him, but that was fine. It wasn't like he would have listened anyway. He stretched and tried to ignore the growling of his stomach. He would sate it, all right, but not yet. No, first he had to think of the best way to lure a student down here. Then, no one would disturb him as he absorbed the energy he needed. The boy's soul kicked out at him, furious at what he planned to do with the body he'd usurped.

"Shut… up!" he snarled. "I'm trying to keep us both alive! You'll thank me later, Edward, now hush already."

But the brat continued to struggle; it was like trying to battle a bad stomachache. Finally, he managed to suppress the meddlesome boy's soul once more, and it was then that he heard it: a clamor of footsteps and voices.

"Wow, this place is creepy," said a boy.

"I'm with ya there, Neville," agreed another.

"Shh!" advised Harry. "If we're too loud, we'll give ourselves away." His voice sounded the closest, which meant he was probably at the lead. How many had he brought down here with him?

Closing his eyes, he reached out with his shadows to gather more information. He could see a dozen coming his way. Four of the bunch were redheads – Weasleys – then there was Potter, Hermione Granger, the Longbottom boy, Alphonse Elric, the Lovegood girl, and three of Edward's dormmates. _They're walking right into my lap! Humans really are so inherently stupid._

He thought he heard the boy retort with something like, _"Don't underestimate us, Pride! Your overconfidence is your weakness!"_

_Your faith in your friends is yours_, he snickered inwardly._ Do you think they'll be able to rescue you? Ha! I'm going to make you watch as I cut them down with your body. They'll barely have time to realize what's really going on._

"_Damn you!"_

They were getting close now. He smirked; this would be fun – dinner and a show.

* * *

Alphonse looked around at the intricately carved sculptures that adorned the Chamber of Secrets. They might have been beautiful if not for the general aura of mildew and death.

"How much further, Harry?" asked Ron, who had to control the urge to jump in fright every time he saw a spider (which was quite frequently in a place like this). "I never came in this far before, remember?"

"I remember; it's not far," Harry assured them. Even in the dim light cast from the wizards' wands, Al could see a sort of unpleasant nostalgia on the bespectacled boy's face. He was tempted to ask what was wrong, but something told him Harry wasn't up to talking about it.

At last, they reached the main chamber, and – for a moment – Al couldn't help but think of the Homunculi's lair underneath Central. Both places reeked of evil in a way that even he, a hollow suit of armor, could sense.

"So, what are we looking for?" asked Kevin.

"Dunno," answered Harry, shrugging. "Tracks? A campfire?"

"Well, we won't find anything if we just stand around," denoted Al.

Just then, a small, familiar voice called out of the darkness, and everyone jolted.

"…Al?"

"Ed?" Al called back, whirling around in an attempt to trace the voice back to its source. "Where are you?"

"Over here."

"Where's 'here'?"

"Oh, this is ridiculous," sighed Hermione. She pointed her wand at the ceiling and incanted, "_Lumos Maxima_!"

A miniature sun shot out of the tip and hovered near the top of the gloomy cavern, casting a white, deadening light over the underground vault. After the whole room was visible, it only took a few seconds for Al to locate the feebly stirring figure of his brother, splayed on the uneven stone floor at the very edge of the ring of light made by Hermione's spell.

"Brother!" he cried, rushing to Ed's side. He gingerly scooped the gaunt form up in his arms. "Ed, you look terrible. What's wrong?"

All that his big brother managed to get out was, "…Pride…" before the darkness reached out, snatched Ed away from Al, and pulled the elder Elric into the black.

"Ed!"

Al would have plunged headfirst in there if not for Harry calling, "Wait, Al! We should search in groups. It'll be safer."

"Fine, but let's hurry!"

At last, Al set off with the Weasley twins and Luna, while Harry, Ginny, Michael, and Kevin formed another team, and Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Terry made up the third group. They moved through the enormous pipes, passing decaying skins left behind by the Basilisk that Harry had beaten three years previously and crunching on top of thousands of tiny animal bones.

"Brother!" Al shouted, over and over again. "Ed, answer me! Where are you? Ed, please!"

With each passing minute that produced no results, Al's heart sunk further and further into despair. If something had happened to Ed, if Pride had hurt him… But, no, Ed was a human sacrifice, and the Homunculi's servant, to boot. Surely… _surely_, they wouldn't…

* * *

He was so close now, so close to satiating the hunger that gnawed at his insides. As the Potter boy and his three companions stepped into the enclosed space of the pipe where he was hiding, he had to control the urge to salivate at the mere thought of taking their souls. Well… except for Potter's. That wasn't allowed. He'd have to control himself on that count, but for the others… there would be no holding back. The little Ishvalan boy looked like a good place to start.

"_No! No, don't you dare hurt them, you little bastard!"_

Shushing the petulant human soul that kept making such a racket, he dropped soundlessly to the floor and snuck up behind the boy that was about to become his meal. The darkness shrouded him, and one streak of shadow opened like a great maw, ready to engulf human life.

"KEVIN! GET DOWN!"

White light blasted him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Damn, the Potter boy had seen him at the last second. Before he could get back up, metal clamps bound his limbs to the floor of the pipe. Snarling, he looked up at the humans who had just miraculously gotten the drop on him. At least seeing the horrified looks on their faces was its own form of entertainment.

"…Ed?" asked the boy with shoulder-length black hair, the one who had cast the spell. "I… I don't understand. Why would you attack Kevin? What's going on?"

He smirked at the four humans and said, "So sorry, but Edward isn't in right now." Even as he spoke, the shadows surrounded the wizards, sprouting red eyes and pointed teeth. "I'm afraid there's only me and the darkness to keep you company. Ah, well. We'll have to find _some_ way to still have fun, won't we?"

* * *

Al knew splitting up had been a bad idea when he heard the scream.

"Oh, my God!" gasped Fred.

"That was Ginny!" concurred George.

As quickly as they could, they retraced their steps, nearly colliding with Hermione's group as they did so.

"Did you hear?" she checked.

"Yes," nodded Al.

"Let's hurry," prompted Neville.

"There's no need for that," chuckled a voice that turned Al's figurative blood cold. It was Ed's voice, and yet…

When he turned to look, what he saw scared him even more. Ed was walking calmly toward the eight of them, and the shadows moved with him, squirming and writhing, as if the darkness was trying to restrain something. Or _someone_ – even as Al stared in horror, a hand grasped at the air, and Harry pulled himself partially free of the shadows.

"Al! Run! That's not Ed! It's-" A rope of darkness bound his mouth before the rest could come out, but Al had a sinking suspicion already.

"P…Pride?"

"Right on the first try," grinned the Homunculus from inside Ed. "Well done, Alphonse Elric."

"You… What have you done to my brother? Get out of him, right now!"

"Mm… no, I don't think I will. I rather like it in this body. Besides, I've severed the connection between his body and soul, leaving him trapped inside the Stone at my core. It's only fitting for such a small and pathetic human to bend to my power."

"Shut up! LET HIM GO!" Full of rage, Al charged blindly at the Homunculus, only to end up tripped by the shadows.

"Weren't you listening to me, Alphonse Elric?" chided Pride. "If you try to force me out of this body, you will wrench your brother's soul out of here, too. Do you really want to risk that?"

Al let loose a blood-curdling yell of fury and came about for another attack, but was just as unsuccessful.

"This is pointless," sighed the Homunculus. He turned to the other seven Hogwarts students, all of whom were frozen in terror. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to eat you now. I'm still hungry, you see."

"You monster!" Fred cried. "If you've killed our little sister, you're dead!"

"Hell, you're dead anyway!" amended George. The twins raised their wands as one, and bright lights bombarded Pride like a hailstorm. The Homunculus yelped and momentarily cowered before the barrage, which gave Harry the opportunity to free himself and the other three from Pride's grasp. They looked terribly weak – as if Pride had been draining the life straight out of them, but at least they were alive.

Sparked by Fred and George's attack, the others pointed their wands at Pride, too. None of the spells were lethal, of course, but they were enough to force Pride back into a corner.

"Damn you!" the monster inside Ed screamed. "Stop it! Don't come any closer!" When Al alone advanced toward his brother's body, the Homunculus shrieked, "I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL KILL EDWARD! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL REND HIS SOUL TO SHREDS!"

Al paused. "You're bluffing. You have to be. You need Ed alive for your sacrifice, don't you?"

Pride laughed. "There are always backups – your friend, Colonel Mustang, for example. We could easily use him as a sacrifice if need be."

If Al had a physical heart, it would have skipped a beat. Pride was deadly serious, so what was he supposed to do? _Think. Come on!_

At last, Al had an idea, a really, _really_ crazy idea. In the span of a blink, he rushed forward, pressing his hands together and focusing all of his concentration on the redirection of energy throughout him. Al reached out and grabbed onto his brother, his huge hands wrapping around the scrawny ribs. Instantly, the reaction began. Pride screamed and writhed as blue and red flashes of lightning zapped everything in the vicinity of the transmutation.

"Stay back!" Al warned his friends when Harry took a hesitant step closer. "I know what I'm doing." Turning back to the agonized Homunculus, he said, "You feel that, Pride? It's quite simple, really: I'm releasing all of your power as heat, light, and static energy. You're going to drain like a battery unless you give me my brother back right now!"

"You'll… you'll just kill me anyway!" roared the monster as it flailed. "Is that… what he'd want? For you to become a murderer like him?"

"You did this to yourself, Pride! The moment you usurped Ed's body! But, it doesn't have to end this way. If you vacate his body, I'll let you live."

Pride howled in pain, but a crazed and desperate gleam had appeared in his eyes. He clapped his hands, probably in order to attempt a transmutation of his own… and that was his big mistake. The new source of energy pulled the lightning back to him like a magnet, redoubling the potency of Al's attack. Al was afraid now; what if he couldn't stop the reaction in time to save Ed? _No_, he told himself. _Focus. Think about what May told you about the dragon's pulse. Feel for it. Feel for Ed's soul. Keep it safe, shielded. You can do this; Brother's counting on you_.

With one final scream that resonated throughout the Chamber, the golden eyes rolled back, and Ed's body fell to the floor, twitching from the lingering electricity as the shadows around him dissolved into dust. Tentatively, Al placed a hand over his brother's heart. After a terrifying moment of stillness, the rib cage began to expand and contract, the chest to rise and fall.

"Ed? Ed, can you hear me? Please, Brother, say something!"

The blonde coughed – no doubt his throat was sore from Pride's screams. At last, he croaked, "Al, I'm… sorry."

Laughing in relief, Al lifted Ed into his lap. "It's okay. You're okay. It wasn't your fault." He pulled his brother into as tight of a hug as he dared. "I was afraid I'd lost you for a moment there."

"M… me, too."

By now, the Hogwarts students had crowded around the brothers. Ginny, Michael, and Kevin must have been recovering smoothly from Pride's attack, because some color had come back into their faces.

"Bloody hell," whistled Ron. "You two are a mess."

Al would have asked, "What do you mean?" if he hadn't first taken a moment to look at Ed and himself. His brother's shirt had been shredded and scorched into nonexistence; even his tank-top under it had burned away from the automail port. His skin was covered in minor burns that were turning pink and purple in reaction to the cold air of the Chamber, and odd strands of his golden hair had been singed to a dark brown. As for Al, his loincloth looked like it had been recently used to wipe up soot, and his armor had deformed in places due to the extreme heat of the transmutation. There were even a few places where the metal had contracted completely, leaving gaping holes in Al's chestplate.

"I guess we are quite a sight," he chuckled softly. "But, we're both alive, and that's what's important."

"That… that was reckless, Al," Ed chided, managing a hoarse laugh himself. "You could have damaged… the blood seal."

"Maybe, maybe not. But, now that Pride's gone, let's get you out of here, back to the Shack."

The elder Elric mumbled his compliance, and Al carefully stood with Ed in his arms. As they slowly made their way back to the entrance of the Chamber, Kevin (supported by Neville) cast a few feeble Healing Charms on Ed, despite the blonde's insistence that Kevin should worry about himself. As per Hermione's suggestion that they spread their numbers thin to appear less suspicious, they went their separate ways as they emerged from the abandoned girls' bathroom on the second floor. Al moved as stealthily as possible in his large body, avoiding any students, teachers, or ghosts as he navigated his way out of the castle. When they made it safely to the outer courtyard, Al let loose a sigh of relief.

"We're nearly there, Ed. I think we're in the clear."

"Oh, are you?" said a simpering, girlish voice.

Al froze. He'd heard that voice before – just earlier that day, through the Extendable Ear. When he finally turned around, his worst fear was realized. Standing before him, flanked by a dozen Aurors and wearing an expression of ecstatic triumph… was Dolores Umbridge.

* * *

A/N: Gaaaagh! Another cliffhanger! Well, basically, every chapter from this point on will end in a cliffhanger, so you might as well get used to it now.

Since Pride didn't absorb Kimblee in this story, there was no one to stop him from taking over Ed's body. It's Pride!Ed… but not the kind we're used to hearing about... XD

Anyone catch the two _Star Wars_ lines? Lol, I couldn't resist.

And… I haven't had the heart to make Ginny and Michael break up as they do in canon. Let's just decide that they come to a mutual understanding to be "just friends" sometime over the next summer. XD I also decided to keep Fred and George around a little while longer.


	25. The Long-Awaited Storm

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I can't believe it! We're nearing the final chapters of the fic! *runs around screaming*

Oh, and Merry Christmas! ^_^ Sorry I don't have a happy chapter to deliver...

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**The Long-Awaited Storm**

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

At the sound of that hated voice, Ed opened one eye to look at his nemesis. His view of her wasn't steady because Al was trembling, but he could make out her pink cardigan and her triumphant smirk.

"A… Al," he croaked. "Go. Run. It's _me_ she wants."

"Are you crazy?" Al thundered, loud enough that Umbridge heard every word. "I'm not going to just leave you here, Brother!"

Ed opened his mouth to retort, but the pain that lingered in his body from hostile takeover and forceful rejection cut off his words.

"'Brother'?" squeaked Umbridge, rubbing her stubby hands together. "My, my, this is quite a development. You never told me you had a brother, Elric."

"That's cuz… it's none of your damn business."

Her sickly-sweet smile slid off of her face, becoming as truly grotesque as her black heart. "All right then, demon. We'll do things the straightforward way. Surrender immediately!"

"No!" Al had retorted before Ed got a chance. This was bad; with Al holding him, both brothers were left practically defenseless.

_We're in a serious pickle here._

"All you have to do is ask for a little help," Horntail whispered in his head. Ed shuddered a little; he'd had quite enough of hearing voices. He'd nearly lost his mind when Pride had trapped him inside that Philosopher's Stone for a whole month, locked him in a tempest of tormented souls that wailed endlessly as they were slowly broken down to feed Pride's existence, without any kind of physical form to anchor him to reality or sanity. Shaking off these unnerving memories, he stealthily reached into his back pocket and grabbed the handle of the ash wand.

_Some help would be greatly appreciated… please._

"Your manners are greatly appreciated," the dragon responded with a hint of sarcasm. Immediately, Ed felt strength flow into him from the wand, just the way it had in Father's lair all those months ago.

Ed began to squirm in the makeshift cradle of his brother's arms as he said with surprising calm, "Al, put me down. I'm gonna duel her."

"What? Are you insane?"

"Not at all. Please, just take care of yourself, and I'll catch up."

"No, I won't!" Al clutched at Ed in order to prevent the elder brother from scrambling out of his large arms. "I'm not going anywhere! I'm not going to leave your side for another minute, Brother! I'm sick of us being split up! Don't tell me to run, please!"

"How touching," hissed Umbridge, pointing her wand in their direction. "Well, Elric, since you have made the decision to fight, then by all means…" Without another word of warning, she cast the first spell, an explosive force that tore the brothers away from each other. Ed managed to keep a grip on his wand, and he quickly got back to his feet, doing his best to ignore the pain.

"Umbridge, you hag!" He slashed at the air, and somehow, the Horntail converted his anger into a spell that resembled a massive fireball. Only a collective response from the Aurors prevented the flames from engulfing the stubby witch. Almost immediately after, they counter-attacked, forcing Ed onto the defensive. His Shield Charm held, but his ability to concentrate had been damaged by Pride's usurping of his body. He was quickly losing ground, and everyone could see it.

"Brother!" Al called from where he had landed. "Hang on! I'm coming!"

Before he could try to intervene, however, Umbridge incanted, "_Incarcerous_," and bound Al with thick ropes.

"No!" Ed roared, but his distraction gave one of the Aurors an opening. Ed felt a sharp stab of pain in his side, and he collapsed into the grass. Ears ringing, he could still hear Al calling his name.

"Ed! Ed, no! Leave him alone!"

"Shall we dispose of them, Headmistress?" asked one of the Aurors as he approached and pointed his wand threateningly at Ed's face while another kicked the ash wand out of his hand.

Umbridge swelled with pleasure; she was completely in charge, and she loved it. "No, not yet. I still have some more questions for Elric, and he can't very well answer them if he's dead." Her maleficent gaze then drifted to Al. "Now, then… what form of monstrosity is _this_?"

"Get the hell away from him!" Ed snarled. However, as soon as he tried to rise, several of the Aurors moved in to hold him down. "Get off me! Umbridge, if you lay another finger on my brother, you'll-"

"Empty threats," the toady witch cut him off while a depraved smile played about her mouth. She did her best to tower over the fallen form of Alphonse as she demanded, "Well, answer me, demon! What are you?"

"I… I'm not a demon. I'm a human, just like any of you."

"Lies!" She prodded one of the singed holes in Al's chestplate. "You are an empty suit of armor that has somehow been enchanted to walk, talk, and think. Some form of dark magic, I'm sure."

"It's not magic at all, you dense hag!" Ed grunted from under the weight of an Auror's boot on his back. "It's alchemy!"

Umbridge threw him a glance and a tinkling giggle. "It really is amusing how determined you are to sugar-coat your conniving deeds with words, Elric."

"And it's really stupid how you won't even listen to a word out of my mouth!"

"Oh, I listen. I simply filter it through what I know to be the truth."

"So, in other words, you only listen to what you want to hear!" Ed struggled against the strong grasps pinning him to the ground. "You stuck-up, egotistical, self-righteous pig!"

The Headmistress's nostrils flared. She flicked her wand at Ed and said, "_Silencio_."

Even after his voice stopped working, Ed continued to launch profanities and wholly unflattering descriptions of Umbridge as the witch glared down at Alphonse once more. "Well, I think there's really only one thing to do with this… _thing_." She motioned to one of her Auror thugs, "Take this to the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts and have it studied. If we can discover how it mimics life, maybe we can find a way to defeat the other demons, too."

"Yes, ma'am," said the Auror. He approached Al and, keeping his wand trained on the suit of armor, levitated the younger Elric toward the gate that led off of school grounds. If that crony made it past the barrier, it would be too late.

"Then, get up and fight!" Horntail pressed, booming inside his head and filling him with a burst of strength. There wouldn't be time to lunge for his wand, no time for magic at all. Wrenching his arms free of the Aurors' grasp, he pressed his hands together and grabbed the ground. Instantly, the balance of the entire courtyard swayed and rolled, impeding the progress of the Auror taking Al and shaking all the others off of their feet. In another instant, Ed transmuted his hand-blade and rushed to this little brother's aid. It only took one solid kick to the Auror's wand arm for the man's only weapon to be sent flying out of sight. Al thudded into the grass of the recently altered landscape just as Ed assumed a protective stance in front of his captive brother.

When the remaining group of wizards all pointed their wands at him, Ed tried to yell, _"Stay back!"_ but his voice was still jinxed into nonexistence. It seemed that force would be the only way he'd be able to communicate with this lot of stubborn, unseeing pricks.

But, there were just too many. Ed tried to use alchemy to defend Al and himself, but one of the Aurors would always find an opening and graze him with a jet of red light: a Stunning Spell. After enough close calls, Ed could feel his borrowed strength from the dragon evaporating. His legs wobbled, but did not give way. He _would not let_ these people take Al, his precious little brother, to some lab for experimenting on! Even so, he found himself having to reestablish his balance several times. He wasn't going to last.

"Brother!" Al cried as one of Ed's knees finally hit earth. The elder Elric leaned against the familiar metal shell that bound his brother's soul to this world, panting and sweating. "Ed, listen to me. It… it's okay."

"_What?"_ Ed mouthed, positive he hadn't heard Al right.

"Mr. Weasley works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. He won't let them dissect me."

"_How can you know that?"_

"…I don't, but I can hope."

"_But, Al!"_

"_Stupify_!" Another red flash of light flew at them, and Ed – distracted by Al's horrifying suggestion – was unprepared. The spell hit him squarely between the shoulder blades. His world reeled, and he felt his head collide with dirt and grass. Blackness lapped at the edges of his vision, almost like when Pride had taken over his body. In the blurred images that passed before his dimming eyes, Al was dragged away by another Auror. Delayed through his distorted senses, Ed heard his brother call out one more time.

"I won't die, Ed! I'll be okay; I promise!"

_Al…_ Ed thought miserably as consciousness slipped away from him,_ don't make promises… you can't… keep…_

* * *

Edward woke with a strange, numb sensation in his arms. After the initial moments of confusion, he realized it was because they were pulled taut above his head by chained handcuffs. He quickly noticed that his blade had been forcefully transfigured back into his forearm, which meant that, with no wand and his hands restrained, he was completely defenseless. He gave the shackles an experimental tug with no luck; wherever in the dark stone ceiling above him the chains were attached, they were well-secured. Now that he looked around, there was dark stone on all sides. Of course, he was in the Hogwarts dungeon… the _literal_ dungeon. After what might have been anything from a few seconds to several hours (Ed's sense of time was still a little fuzzy), the wooden door on the far side of the chamber creaked open, and in stepped Filch, the castle's caretaker. Ed had never exchanged two words with the grimy, gruesome man, but he'd heard enough nasty stories from his friends to know that Filch was bad news, especially when it came to sucking up to Umbridge and doing whatever she asked with a dutiful sneer of sadistic pleasure.

"Good afta'noon," chuckled the hunched man as he reverently placed a piece of paper on the small desk near him and moved to one of the dusty cupboards lined along the wall in front of Ed.

"Is it good for you, or for me?" Ed was glad his voice had been restored; he had more than half a mind to let loose his full repertoire of colorful language as soon as Umbridge stuck her toady head inside, which he knew she would eventually. She had said she wanted to question him more.

Filch snorted. "Fer me; you'll be squealin' like a piglet 'fore the day's done."

"Not exactly a pleasant prospect." Ed tugged on the chains again. "What did those Aurors do with Al?"

"I dunno what you're talkin' 'bout, boy."

Ed cursed under his breath before moving on to another question, "Well then, where is she – Umbridge?"

"Oh, the 'eadmistress will be along in due time. She's sorting out the afta'math of two students rabbitin'."

"Come again?"

Filch glanced at Ed over his dirty shoulder as he elaborated, "Those Weasley twins. Th' school's better off without 'em, I say. Meddlesome, mess-making mischiefs, those two."

"Fred and George are gone? Just… left?"

"Took off inta' the sky like a pair of birds, 'cept on brooms. Well, good riddance, I say. At least I've still got a chance to exercise my new… privileges."

"Privileges?" Ed echoed.

Filch turned around to face Ed, and in his grubby, calloused hands was a thick whip. Grinning wickedly, he said, "The paperwork just came through. Finally, I once again have permission to use _this_."

Ed couldn't stop the adrenaline from spreading throughout his body. The sight of that cruel weapon terrified him; he'd never in his life felt the lash of a whip. Filch uncoiled the long cord like a leathery snake. Straightening to his full height, he circled around to Ed's already-partially-exposed back.

"Aren't you going to wait until Umbridge comes?" Ed asked, a trace of desperation leaking into his voice.

Filch chortled. "Hardly. The 'eadmistress told me to go on and warm you up."

As much as Ed tried, he had no way of bracing himself for the sharp, burning streak of pain that the first lash left across his shoulder blades. Filch obviously had considerable practice in the art of whipping, because he seemed to know just how long to wait in-between strokes: just long enough for his victim's muscles to relax after the previous blow and make themselves tender and vulnerable once more. At first, Ed bit his lip to stop from screaming, but he soon raised blood that filled his mouth with the warm metallic taste until he had to spit the foul liquid out. Filch caught him just as he did so, and that produced the first cry of pain, soon followed by another, and another. Eventually, Ed didn't care that he was howling from the stings, whimpering in fear, or even begging for mercy. Filch lashed at his legs a few times until he was forced to let most of his weight dangle from his arms, which only put them in danger of dislocation. The pain of the whiplashes had numbed his whole body; he could barely even move his head and neck. He was absolutely helpless. Filch kept laughing as he swung the leather cord harder and harder against the boy, leaving red welts that leaked trickles of blood all over his body. As if anything could be worse, Umbridge would soon join them, surely to unleash some even more agonizing form of torture upon him.

Despite the onslaught of physical pain, Ed's thoughts remained fixed upon Al. Where was he by now – already at the Ministry? Had he been hurt, or had Mr. Weasley's intervention been enough to save him? Worst of all was the haunting question of, _"Will I ever see him again?"_

Just as Ed felt close to passing out, Filch dealt him a light, yet effective slash across his face, cutting into the bridge of his nose and causing blood to dribble around his right eye. As if in queued sequence to this rude awakening, the door opened again, and Umbridge entered. Ed took a little comfort in her ruffled expression and frizzled hair; Fred and George must really have made a show before they'd left. Upon catching sight of Ed, however, her cruel smile resurfaced.

"Ah, Elric. I see Filch has been handling you properly. It's better than a demon like you deserves."

Ed gulped before croaking, "How many times… do I have to say it? You've got it all mixed up."

"Why have you not returned to your original form?" pressed Umbridge, ignoring Ed's protest. "Your cohorts all reverted back to their demonic visages upon discovery, so why-"

"Because I'm not a demon, you dunce! The way I looked at Azkaban was a one-time deal. Polyjuice Potion." Why was he telling her this? Attempting to clear his name would be like try to row up a waterfall: completely pointless.

Umbridge sighed tensely. "Well, you certainly are determined to stick to your little 'innocent student' disguise, aren't you? I suppose I'll just have to wring the truth out of you."

"Then, you'll never get it, because I'll never give you the 'truth' that you want to hear."

"Oh? I think you will gladly confess before I'm through with you, Elric." She set a wrapped lump on the desk and eyed it cautiously, which told Ed that his wand was concealed inside. Was she putting it in plain view just to tempt him to dash for it (not that he could have in his current chained position)?

Umbridge drew her own wand and twirled it; immediately, the handcuffs unlocked, and Ed crashed to the stone floor, unable to bear his own weight. The brutal aftereffects of his whipping made it nearly impossible to move, but he raised his head to glare at the Headmistress.

"Why won't you just… open your eyes? I'm not… what you think I am…"

"I simply refuse to listen to your feeble attempts to trick me. You already gave us the bare amount of evidence and testimony to convict you before the Wizengamot… but I feel such treatment would be too kind. After all, there is no need to be as lenient with a demonic mockery of humanity as one would be with an actual human being."

"I _AM_ A HUMAN BEING!" Ed thundered, pounding his automail fist against the rough floor and producing more than a few sparks from the collision. "What is it gonna take for me to prove that to you?"

Umbridge leaned over him, her bulbous eyes alight with eager satisfaction. "Absolutely nothing you do could ever convince me of that, Elric. It would merely be seen as subterfuge."

"Damn you! You're blind! Blinded by Fudge and his 'rules.' Your precious Minister's stumbling around in the dark, grasping at straws he think will give him comfort so he doesn't have to wake up and realize that Voldemort's roaming the countryside! I saw Voldemort; He's one-hundred-percent alive and kicking!"

"Enough!" Umbridge's shrill voice bounced off of the dungeon walls, giving her command more of a powerful aura than usual. "No more lies! I will deal with you personally, Elric, and send what's left of you to be studied by the Department of Mysteries. Who knows, maybe you'll be reunited with that supposed brother of yours… in death, at least."

It was strange, but… for the first time, Ed actually feared the toady witch. What was she about to do to him? Would it be enough to wring whatever lies she wanted to hear out of him?

_**How about this, Son of Hohenheim?**_ Father whispered in his mind. _**I'll take that debate out of your mind: you are forbidden from telling her anything important about my plans, and you are not to conform verbally to her imagination of you, either.**_

Ed blinked. _Uh… thanks?_

_**Finally, some gratitude for all I'm doing for you.**_

_Well, don't get used to it._

The blonde then redirected his attention on his current foe. Her wand was a few inches from his face, but her hand was trembling, as if… as if she was hesitating.

"What's the matter?" Ed mused aloud. "Are you doubting your own story? Getting cold feet? Considering for a moment that you might be wrong, that I might actually be a human?"

Somehow, his words came out as a taunt, one that triggered Umbridge's action. "_Crucio_."

Moments ago, his body had been numb, but now it was wide-awake as the curse twisted his insides, stabbing and tugging at anything that could hurt. Ed was more aware of it than when Pride had used the curse on him, maybe because Umbridge's power couldn't hope to match up to the overwhelming combined willpower of a homunculus and the ash wand. After nearly a minute under its agonizing influence, the curse lifted, and soreness paralyzed him once more.

"Is... is that it?" Ed found a hoarse laugh bubbling out of his throat.

"Not by far! _Crucio_!" Again and again, she repeated the curse. It seemed to compound upon his open wounds, causing his blood to come to the surface around his burns and lash-marks. The excruciating spell threw his sense of time out of balance again; he might have suffered under her wand for only a few minutes, or maybe for many long hours. She asked him questions like, "How many associates do you have? Are you their leader? If not, who is?" but Ed's lips had been sealed for him by Father. In a way, that did make it easier. It meant he didn't have to feel as ashamed when he let Umbridge hear his screams.

At last, Umbridge paused in her barrage. Ed's breaths came in heaving gasps that still somehow only brought him a fraction of the oxygen he needed. The curse was causing serious damage inside him; he could feel it slowly tearing him apart. Upon realizing that his hearing felt impaired, he raised a tentative hand to his ear and brought back blood on his metal fingers. His eardrums had blown from the pressure of the curse. He could feel more of the warm liquid drizzling down from his nose, filling his nostrils with its familiarly putrid stench. Some was even gurgling at the back of his throat; lest he choke, Ed feebly rolled onto his side and coughed up the blood, staining the nearby stone a deep red.

"Feeling any more cooperative?" Umbridge trilled, momentarily reassuming her girlish tone.

"Go to hell," Ed rasped.

He didn't have to see her face to know that his continued standoffs were pissing her off. Filch, who had been watching delightedly from a corner since the Headmistress had arrived, looked up as if Umbridge had motioned to him. He subsequently rose and hobbled out of Ed's limited range of sight.

"Argus, I need you to go and fetch someone for me. Let's see… how about Miss Lovegood and Mr. Entwhistle? Yes, I think they'll do nicely."

"Yes, ma'am. Right away." With that, the shuffling footsteps of the caretaker receded in the direction of the door, and a moment later, it creaked open and closed. Unable to make his body move, Ed had to rely on his basic senses. All he could see from his viewpoint on the floor was one of the grimy stone walls, and smell was useless, since the metallic odor of blood blocked out everything else, but his hearing – albeit distant and distorted – was still working. He listened to Umbridge's pacing footsteps, no doubt amplified by her pink flats clattering against the floor.

"Wh… why?" he asked, suppressing the gurgle of blood that had risen back up in his throat. "Why them?"

He could feel Umbridge smirking at the back of his head. "Because I have finally realized something."

"That I'm innocent?"

The toady Headmistress laughed with a sort of snort. "Hardly. I've realized that I cannot hurt you… by hurting _you_." The tone of her voice instilled a new fear in Ed. If she planned to lay a finger on Luna or Kevin…

Umbridge returned to her pacing, and, after several minutes of the steady rhythm, Filch returned with two pairs of footsteps in his wake. Almost immediately upon the students' entry, their voices rang out in alarm.

"Ed!" Kevin cried, rushing to his friend's side and gingerly rolling him so that they could see each other's faces. "Oh, my gosh! What's she done to you?"

Luna came to Ed's other side and gently raised his head off of the cold stone. "You don't have to speak if it hurts too much."

Grateful for an excuse not to aggravate his burned and throbbing throat, he attempted a feeble smile as he clasped her warm hand with his shaking, bloodied one.

Umbridge scoffed. "So, you two are still taken in by this demon's disguise?"

Kevin looked up at the Headmistress and fixed her with the most fearsome glare Ed had ever seen upon his young friend's face. The alchemist couldn't help but think about how far the Ishvalan had come from being the timid outcast who hid under his bed. "Ed isn't the demon here," he said defiantly. "_You are_."

A second later, Kevin had been flung several feet away from Ed. Luna, too, seemed forced back away from the blonde. Painfully rolling onto his stomach, Ed saw that Umbridge had used magic against both his friends. Red started to pour into his brain, the way it had when he'd fought Bradley. Only the voice of reason in his head (which sounded remarkably like Al's voice) urged him to stay in control. If he lost it, it wouldn't matter how much damage Umbridge had dealt him; the Ministry would have to mop up her remains from the floor. As much as he hated Umbridge, he didn't want her blood on his hands.

"You brought this upon yourselves, both of you," squeaked Umbridge, "by associating yourselves with Elric and his plans to overthrow the Ministry."

"Ed doesn't have any plans like that!" Kevin protested, rubbing his right shoulder after his uncomfortable collision with the stone tiles.

"He's trying to stop them," pressed Luna as she made her way to Kevin's side, "the 'demons' you're talking about and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Ed wants them both defeated."

"Silence! I'll hear no more of your lies! You've obviously been placed under some form of spell by Elric." Straightening herself, Umbridge crooned, "Well, fear not, children. I will release you from his control, even if I must use harsh means to do so."

"Don't you… dare… hurt them," Ed snarled, placing his palms firmly on the floor and pushing up (relying mostly on the strength of his automail arm). His muscles, bones, and nerves all screamed at him to lie still, but Luna and Kevin were much more important than his pain. He was quite satisfied to see his efforts produce a trace of fear on Umbridge's face as the witch pointed her wand at the pair of his friends.

"I mean it, Elric. Answer my questions, and I mean honestly, or I will have no choice but to torture these two."

Now propped up by his arms and knees, Ed slowly turned his aching head to look at Luna and Kevin. Their eyes met, and the silent message between them was clear: _"We trust you, Ed."_ Giving them a nearly undetectable nod, he pressed the balls of his feet against the stone in preparation and faced Umbridge. "You're not getting a word of useful information out of me, you filthy snake."

The chain reaction began. Umbridge digested his challenge and set her brow, she tightened her grip on her wad and began to mouth the words of the curse, and Ed pushed off from the floor (ignoring the agony it took to move) and shielded Kevin and Luna from the attack. He couldn't stop the half-yell, half-scream from escaping him when the Cruciatus Curse hit his lower back, spreading throughout him and dissolving his strength like an acid. Luna clutched at him to keep him upright, and he caught a brief glimpse of her distraught expression. Of course… to her, this must feel like Kimblee's attack all over again, where he had been so badly hurt protecting her. As the curse's effects lifted, Kevin went so far as to draw his own wand and point it at Umbridge.

"There's no way you have permission to do this!" he shouted. "Using an Unforgiveable Curse on students… Professor Dumbledore never would have-"

"Dumbledore is a treasonous and sentimental fool, whereas I am the hand of progress. And, in the way I run things, naughty children are punished. As for Elric, he isn't even human, so regulations don't even apply to him."

"How can you be so blind?" said Luna, outrage making her voice tremble. "Are you so eager to find someone to blame other than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named that you can't see that Ed is innocent?"

Instead of answering Luna's question, Umbridge flicked her wand and pulled Ed away from his friends, slamming him to the floor on his back. Kevin took a threatening step toward the Headmistress, but Ed gave him a look that said, _"If you get yourself in any more trouble for my sake, that will hurt much more than whatever this hag throws at me."_

Ed raised his head by a few inches and panted, "Leave them… out of this, Umbridge. I'm the only one… this need concern."

After debating for a moment, the Headmistress turned her back on the two Ravenclaws and redirected all of her attention at Ed. "Very well, but I'm afraid you're running out of options, Elric. If you do indeed have absolutely no intention of disclosing any information, even when I threaten your friends, then… perhaps you simply aren't worth the effort."

"Now you're… catching on."

To Ed's slight surprise, Umbridge smirked with a sort of conciliatory satisfaction. "Then, the majority of your usefulness has come to an end." Tapping her stubby fingers along the length of her wand in anticipation, she concluded, "I will let the curse run its course, and send whatever's left to the Ministry for research. You will die at my hands, demon!"

"No!" Luna screamed, reaching for her wand even as Kevin tried to hold her back.

"Argus," Umbridge appended, "remove these two students from the room while I deal with this loose end."

Ed watched as Filch veritably dragged Kevin and Luna out into the hallway. At the last moment, Umbridge tossed the lump that held Ed's wand wrapped inside to the young Ishvalan as if ridding herself of a large rat. "There. You can keep _that_."

As the door swung shut, Ed sent a last desperate nonverbal communiqué to his friends: _"Get help."_ Then they were gone, and Umbridge brought down wave after wave of excruciation upon him. It was like being tossed in a tempest of pain… like he was once again a mere soul adrift in the depths of a Philosopher's Stone. Even long after his voice broke completely and refused to produce any more sound, his body still went through the motions of screaming. He was going to die, and Al probably wouldn't be that far behind him, wherever he was. The memory of being trapped in the Stone grew stronger with each second he suffered under the curse, until at last the trauma of his past swallowed him, pulling his mind down into the deep black.

* * *

Kevin could hear the screams even as Filch forced Luna and him to exit the corridor. When the caretaker finally released them and left them be, however, the young Ishvalan turned to the blonde girl. "We've got to get help – someone who can take Umbridge down."

"Professor McGonagall," said Luna immediately, "and… Professor Snape."

"Okay," Kevin nodded, remembering how Snape had a close connection with Ed anyway because of the Occlumency lessons. Trying to take deep breaths, he placed a hand on Luna's shoulder, which was slightly trembling. "How about you go get McGonagall, and I'll tell Snape?"

Luna sniffed before replying, "Right," and disappearing towards the stairs in a streak of pale blonde hair. Kevin instead whirled around and set off for the Potions Master's office. If he wasn't there… When Kevin reached his destination, he knocked, but it took several repetitions before Snape finally answered the door. At that point, Kevin could feel his nerves ratcheting upward; every second they delayed could be bringing Ed another second closer to insanity or death, or (if it was possible) worse.

"P… please, Professor Snape, I need your help," he began, inwardly berating himself for not cutting straight to the point.

Snape said nothing, but tilted his head encouragingly, waiting to hear more.

"Umbridge has Ed," blurted Kevin. "She's torturing him, Cruciatus Curse and everything. She… she says she's going to kill him."

Almost before Kevin had reached the end of his explanation, Snape was on the move. The Potions Master drew his wand and came out into the hall, pressing a hand to Kevin's back to bring him along. As they walked, Kevin did his best to give Snape more details, but before they made it back to the true dungeon of the school, they met up with Luna and Professor McGonagall. The two teachers exchanged a nod and took the lead, letting the Ravenclaws stride in their wake.

"Thank you for alerting us," McGonagall said briskly just before they reached the rusty-hinged wooden door, "but it would be better if you let us handle things from here."

Kevin nodded and slackened his pace, as did Luna. "Yes, Professor," he acknowledged.

"Just… please," Luna begged, "please save Ed. If he died, I-"

Snape smoothly raised a hand to call for silence. "You need not explain, Miss Lovegood. _None of us_ wish that boy dead."

With that, Snape and McGonagall opened the dungeon door and entered the battlefield.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall declared most sternly as soon as they had stepped inside and shut the door behind them.

Umbridge relaxed her wand arm, lifting the curse from her victim, and turned to face the teachers. "Why, Minerva, Severus, what a… surprise." She was using that abhorrently annoying voice again; Severus was quite tempted to roll his eyes. But, he had more important matters to attend to at the moment. As McGonagall began to berate the pseudo-Headmistress, he glided across the stone floor to where Ed lay shuddering. At least that meant he wasn't dead. The boy looked as though he might be screaming, but no sound came from him; he must have blown out his voice. Even though the curse was no longer directly upon him, Ed continued to writhe even as Snape pressed a calm hand to the feverish forehead. For a moment, Ed's blazing eyes opened and met his teacher's black ones, and Snape was forced to steel himself. That one flash into Ed's thoughts was enough to tell him that something was very wrong, not just in the young alchemist's body, but in his mind.

"Severus?" McGonagall paused in her rant, noticing Snape's audible wince. "How bad is he?"

"Considerably," surmised the Potions Master. As carefully as he could, he slipped his arms under Ed and lifted the trembling boy into his arms. "I need to tend to him immediately."

"You're not taking that abomination anywhere!" shrieked Umbridge.

McGonagall rose to her full height, which satisfactorily dwarfed Umbridge in comparison. "Did it ever occur to you, Dolores, that you could easily have found solid proof of Elric's humanity?"

The plump face flushed with embarrassment and anger. "What do you mean?"

"If you would humor me by casting _Homenum Revelio_ in this room."

After a moment's deliberation, the Headmistress did so… and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"By your expression, I assume that you can now clearly see that Elric is counted as a human being. If _that_ isn't enough to convince you, then I'm afraid nothing will, but that is, as they say, 'your problem.'" With that snappish finale, McGonagall followed her fellow from the room, leaving a thunderstruck Umbridge behind them.

After slamming the door, McGonagall caught up with Snape as he briskly strode along the dungeon corridor – with the way Ed was struggling against him, he didn't know how long he'd be able to keep hold of the boy. "Severus? Should I call for Poppy?"

"I can treat his physical injuries, and there is a mental element that I don't believe Madam Pomfrey can treat as well as I can."

"Very well." She glanced around before continuing, "There is still the chance that our insufferable Headmistress will try to capture him again."

"Quite." Severus pushed open the door of a small room outfitted with a bed, basic medical equipment, and various potions. He'd used this setup before in the rare cases of poisons and the like that grew out of Madam Pomfrey's control, that needed his constant attention. Doing his best not to irritate Ed's wounds, he stretched the boy out on the bed, laying him on his right side against the largely undamaged automail arm. Even so, the blonde's thrashing prevented him from staying in one place on the bed. As Snape searched through his stores for the right concoction, he raised an idea. "Perhaps a Fidelius Charm would be prudent in order to conceal him from her."

"Ah, an excellent idea, Severus. Shall you be the secret-keeper, or…?"

"I actually think it would be better for you to take on that role."

"All right, then." McGonagall pushed up her sleeves and began creating the protective barrier just as Snape located the potion, one that would give the drinker a dreamless sleep. Hopefully, it would be enough to reach Ed wherever his mind had trapped itself and induce some form of calm in him. Severus crouched beside the bed and managed to slip a small drizzle of the potion into the boy's mouth. Thankfully, the dry throat accepted the liquid without question, and soon Ed's convulsions began to diminish in intensity, until he finally lay still. Wasting no time, Snape turned the boy so that his back faced upward, revealing the lacerated and gory mess of skin, blood, and muscle. He muttered Healing Charms under his breath, but the wounds were stubborn, having been infused with the damaging power of the Cruciatus Curse. After finishing with the Fidelius Charm, McGonagall approached the Potions Master once more.

"Are you sure you can manage?" she checked, noticing how her colleague's efforts weren't producing clear results.

"Yes," replied Snape stalwartly. "It will take time, however."

"Should I reveal this location to Elric's friends – Potter and the others?"

"You might as well, as long as their visits don't prevent my tending to him."

"I'll make sure to inform them of that condition." As McGonagall moved to the door and opened it, she paused. "And, of course, Van needs to know. With how often Elric seems to become mortally injured, I can hardly imagine how his father keeps a level head."

"With immense strength of character," Snape guessed, continuing to hack away the Dark Magic permeating Ed's tattered body. He heard McGonagall close the door, leaving the barrier effectively sealed. Eventually, Ed stirred as the effects of the potion began to wear off. However, the typical moaning of a sleepy riser quickly devolved into the pained and panicked whimpering of a traumatized child. The sound of what was left of Ed's voice was terribly pitiful.

"Elric?" Severus ventured. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, but the physical contact triggered further terror in the blonde. His eyes flew open and darted around the unfamiliar room, bloodshot and glazed, as if he wasn't even seeing the real world. He tried to roll over, but Severus held him down and spoke calmly, even though he was almost certain that the boy couldn't understand a word. "Edward, listen to me. You're safe now. Just lie still; you need rest."

After several minutes of struggle, Snape managed to administer more of the sleeping draft, and Ed slowly sank back into sleep. Even after his head slumped onto the low pillow, his human hand remained clenched around a fistful of the Potions Master's robes. Snape slowly loosened the boy's fingers and set the limb back on the mattress. Almost as an afterthought, he gave the now-limp hand a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be all right," he found himself whispering. "It will take more than Dolores Umbridge to keep you down, if I remember the extent of your stubbornness correctly. What with this Promised Day looming ever closer, I know you'll want to be fit enough to take part in the action, but that means you need to rest now." Patting the golden head, he breathed, "Just trust me, Edward, all right?"

The boy let loose a soft sigh in his sleep, which brought Severus a margin of comfort despite its purely coincidental occurrence. He then returned to his task of healing the young alchemist's wounds and hoped that Ed's mental damage would be more mendable than his physical injuries. If that were not the case… this would be a long endeavor indeed.

* * *

A/N: So much torture *evil laugh*

In order to make this chapter long enough, I tried ramping up my amount of description. Is it too much? Please tell me, if it is, and I'll cut back in subsequent chapters. Or, if you like the extra narration and description, please tell me so I'll remember to keep it up in the remaining chapters.

I looked up _Homenum Revelio _on the Harry Potter Wiki to check, and it says that this spell most likely does not detect the presence of anything other than humans.

Yes, Madam Pomfrey's first name is Poppy.

I would think that part of the Cruciatus Curse's punch is that it makes recovery from its effects difficult after long exposure. It kind of ties in with the whole torture theme…

I guess you're going to see some more parental!Severus fluff ~ heeeeee


	26. Fears and Mysteries

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: My calculations still bring us to 29 chapters, but 30 is a tentative possibility…

I think I only just realized how quickly I write fanfictions next to most people…

And, I also just realized how mainstream television also enjoys torturing its main characters. I recently watched the first two episodes of _Merlin_ Season 4 and… wow… There were, like, four times when Merlin "died" *headdesk*

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Ookami**: I appreciate your concern for Ed's well-being. The majority of Ed's torture is over now. It's mainly typical battle-hurts that await him from this point onward…

* * *

**Chapter 26**

**Fears and Mysteries**

Edward slowly opened his eyes to find dusty white fabric against his face. Upon pressing his weight into the comfy mass, the distantly coherent part of his brain judged it was a pillow. So, that meant he wasn't dead. The relative peace around him also told him that he probably wasn't in a lab at the Department of Mysteries either. He could see a little of a wall, but his long-distance vision was a blur. Even _trying_ to focus on anything more than a yard away hurt like needles to the backs of his eyes. Before Ed could get a better idea of where he was, however, the nightmare that had somehow been suppressed during his sleep suddenly decided to follow him into the waking world. Red swept across his small field of vision like a torrent of blood, and with it came the twisted shades that looked like screaming faces. The accompanying wails pounded on his ears, and his body became numb, as if his soul had been ripped from it. The sheer force of the hallucination threatened to crush him, to drag him back down into the nightmare. Hoping to shake himself out of it, Ed promptly rolled over and sat up, but that was a mistake. Yes, the vision faded a little, but stinging pain racked his body, and black spots danced before his eyes. The urge to fall back onto the pillow was too strong, and he soon flopped back onto it, kicking off the thin sheets that stuck to his skin with sweat.

"Dammit," he croaked in a dry voice. He tried to sit up again only for lightheadedness and slight nausea to attack him. That left him with little choice but to endure the daydream of terror. Thankfully, the arrival of someone at his bedside provided a welcome distraction.

"So, you're awake. How do you feel?" asked Professor Snape. The oily voice felt strangely soothing next to the rusty screams of the damned souls that hovered around him.

"Lousy," Ed whispered hoarsely.

Snape pressed the back of his hand to Ed's forehead, and only upon the contact of the cool skin did Ed realize just how excessively warm his own body felt.

"Your fever is stubborn."

"Just like me, I guess." Producing the faint laugh was like rubbing gravel on the inside of his throat, forcing him to cough, which did little good in turn. Through the pervasive haze of crimson that veiled his vision, he saw the Potions Master bring over a mugful of a clear liquid. "What's that?" Ed asked cautiously, the memory of his experience with Veritaserum suddenly fresh in his mind.

"Water," came the answer with a slight implication of _"duh."_

"Oh." Ed wanted to hold the mug on his own, but his usual physical strength seemed to have taken an extended vacation, so he had to let Snape keep the cup stable as he took a small initial swig. His parched insides immediately begged for more, and soon the mug was drained. Even with some small relief from the water, the images of tortured spirits circled his bed, filling the room with death and pain.

Snape must have noticed the boy's eyes darting around because he asked, "What are you looking at?"

Ed hesitated; he didn't want to sound crazy. He knew his ethereal tormentors weren't real - merely remnants of memories from his time inside the Philosopher's Stone – but that didn't make them go away.

"Elric, tell me." Snape's tone was more insistent this time.

Taking a deep (yet painful) breath, Ed tried to explain. "Souls… ones that were inside Pride, the source of his power. Pride, he… " Why was his jaw trembling? Why did the words not want to come?

The Potions Master seemed to understand Ed's inability to continue, and he instead gleaned the information from the boy's mind. The cursory revisitation of the event almost tore Ed away from reality, but he fought to stay in control.

"You're hyperventilating," Snape noted as he momentarily placed a firm, calming hand on Ed's metallic shoulder. The professor then strode swiftly across the room, which reduced him to a dark blur of billowing fabric in Ed's eyes. Before Ed could ask what the reason for Snape's sudden movement was, the man returned with a damp, ice-cold cloth that he promptly spread across Ed's forehead. "Do you think you can go back to sleep on your own?"

Ed shook his head, doing his best not to dislodge the soothing source of cool relief. "I dunno; then all of this," he lazily pointed around the room at the haunting images, "would just get worse."

"Not necessarily." Snape showed him a corked beaker. "This would give you a dreamless sleep."

"And then I'd see the stuff when I'm awake, like right now."

"Which would you prefer?"

Ed chewed on his lip. "I've got plenty of experience handling nightmares. I… I think I can take it."

"If you're sure…" Snape opened a different bottle and poured a small amount into the same mug as before. "This is a simple Sleeping Draft."

"Wait…" Ed protested as something vitally important came to him. "Al… is Al okay?"

"Arthur Weasley has informed us about the situation. Your brother is safe for the time being, but you can't do anything about it at the moment. You need to focus on healing yourself, and sleep is one of the best ways to do that."

Before any more objections could be raised, Snape tilted the contents of the mug into Ed's mouth, and the boy dutifully swallowed the potion. It was warm, not like his fever, but like a comforting hug. What little of his vision that had been working blurred and faded to black... where the demons of his past were waiting.

* * *

Though his patient's physical wounds were slowly but surely on the mend, Snape honestly didn't know if the mental scars were showing any signs of recovery or repair. He'd managed to keep Edward concealed for over two weeks now, and there had been no positive progress in the boy's ability to remain coherent for long periods of time. If anything, he was slipping deeper and deeper into the dreaded memory. Why was this? Snape could only think that the leader of the Homunculi wanted to keep Ed weak, incapacitated. He had a sneaking suspicion that the invalid's condition would radically improve when the sun rose on the Promised Day, whenever that was (the information given to the Order by that Greed character had been unhelpfully vague on the subject of the exact day). The whole situation felt frustratingly like a giant set-up, one in which Edward was the key puppet being dragged along by his strings.

Unfortunately, Snape could not monitor Ed as much as he would have liked to because of preparation for administering the O.W.L. Potions exam on top of teaching his regular classes. On these occasions, he would employ the assistance of one of the boy's friends, but not in a million years would he ask Potter to help, especially with what had happened during their final Occlumency lesson about a month back. On the final Friday of May, Snape returned to Ed's sickroom to find Professor McGonagall in addition to the chosen watcher of the afternoon: Michael Corner.

"Severus," greeted McGonagall.

Snape nodded in return before inquiring of Corner, "Anything of note?"

"He woke once, but only for four-and-a-half minutes." The analytical student's gaze seemed to flit between tiny details, as if he was putting together pieces of an intricate puzzle. "The nightmare seems to be getting worse. When he was awake for that short time, he said it was 'so dark in here,' but it was the middle of the day. It got to the point where I don't think he could see me at all, or anything real around him, for that matter."

Snape pounded his fist on the desk, much to Corner and McGonagall's alarm. "This is spiraling out of control. It does us little good to heal Elric's body if we cannot do the same for his mind." He turned to the Deputy Headmistress. "Have you been able to reach Hohenheim yet?"

"No," McGonagall admitted. "No one's had contact from him for several weeks. But, Van's always been that way, almost like a ghost." Her brow furrowed. "Is there a particular reason that you ask?"

"Hohenheim would have a better chance of reaching Elric, given his own experience with Philosopher's Stones."

"I see." The Transfiguration professor sighed heavily. "Well, I'll take my leave for now, but I'll keep my ears especially alert for news of Van."

Snape pulled back to one side so that his colleague could pass, and as soon as McGonagall had departed, he told Corner, "You can go now."

The Ravenclaw rose from his post obligingly, but he paused for a moment to clasp Ed's human wrist and mutter under his breath, "Try to hang in there, Ed, okay?"

As if Ed heard his friend's request, he moaned softly in his sleep. Corner seemed to take some comfort from the response as he, too, slipped outside and closed the door. When the teacher and his student were alone once more, Snape made his way to the bedside to check Ed's temperature. That fever was the one physical ailment that refused to budge, which hinted that it was somehow tied in to the nightmare that had grabbed hold of the boy so tightly. Snape swapped out the cloth on Ed's forehead for a fresh one, and the blonde squirmed slightly when the cold, wet fabric came into contact with his overly-heated skin. As Snape's gaze wandered, he noticed the object left there by Entwhistle several days ago: Edward's wand. He remembered how the boy had claimed that it could speak to him, that it had a sentient will of its own.

"Can't you do something about this?" Severus found himself demanding of it in a low voice, but, of course, the wand said nothing. It would clearly be of no help to him; he needed Hohenheim.

* * *

"Right this way," said Minerva as she carefully led him through the castle. "I'm relieved that we were finally able to establish contact with you; after nearly a month, even Severus was starting to show signs of stress."

"My apologies," sighed Hohenheim. "Ling and I had to investigate some out-of-the-way places per a request of Dumbledore. We didn't want to alert anyone of our whereabouts."

"Of course, of course," nodded McGonagall, checking around a corner before proceeding. "Merlin, it's been a catastrophe around here with that abhorrent Umbridge in charge; we all have to keep eyes in the backs of our heads to stay a few steps ahead of her." At last, they reached what must be their destination, but Minerva paused before opening the door. "Van, how much were you told?"

"Arthur told me about Alphonse, but he's keeping him safe for now. As for Edward... the details were sketchy."

McGonagall took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for his reaction. "Right, then." She let them in and swiftly shut the entrance behind them.

Severus jumped a little at their entry, but relief showed through when he saw Hohenheim. He stepped aside so that the father could see his son. Though the sight wasn't as painful as when Ed had been comatose, seeing his child's pained expression and faint thrashing was almost worse. He sat on the edge of the bed and pressed a hand to the sweaty, broiling cheek. As he brushed the golden bangs away from the wan face, he could see a faint scar across Ed's nose. Further investigation revealed such vestiges of wounds all over Ed's body.

"What happened?" he asked as he repositioned Ed onto his back and began to look over the front of the boy's torso.

Sparing no bluntness, Snape explained, "Umbridge had him whipped before she personally used the Cruciatus Curse on him."

Van's fingers clenched around the shredded fabric of Ed's tank-top. _That woman is truly evil_. But, as he did so, something new and alarming came to his attention. A quite different scar had been carved into Ed's chest, and its shape…

"And this?" he gulped, trying to steady his voice as he indicated the Ouroboros. "What is the meaning of this?"

Severus's black eyes flitted to Ed's face, as if he didn't know if he had permission to speak on that subject. Finally, he seemed to come to the decision that it was time for Hohenheim to know. The two men met eyes, and it only took a moment for Van's Legilimency to discern the truth. The information raised more questions in his mind, but there would be time to answer them later. Hohenheim placed his palm over the brand and listened intently, the way he had for hundreds of years whenever conversing with the souls trapped inside him. Ed was there, but the pulse of his soul was weak, restrained. And there was something… someone else. Hohenheim wanted to slap himself; when he had probed Edward in September, he had focused too much on the idea of the mind, on using magic to reveal the Homunculus's presence. Only now that he was delving in toward his son's very soul could he feel it, that which had eluded his detection. Latched onto Ed's soul, fused on by the Dwarf in the Flask's will, was an infinitesimal Philosopher's Stone. Despite the anger that was brewing in Hohenheim's gut, he found a smile working its way onto his face. _This_ he could deal with straightforwardly.

"Well?" Severus asked, noticing the alchemist's expression.

"I believe I can help considerably," said Van, "but I'll need a moment."

The two professors nodded and left the room so that the father and son were quite alone.

"Edward?" said Hohenheim. "This is going to hurt, but hold on. I'm coming." He drew back his arm a little before thrusting it into Ed's chest. He heard the boy groan in pain, but he had to push past. Once he had gotten deep enough, he closed his eyes and let the landscape of the mind and soul dominate.

* * *

He didn't have a body, right? That was just an illusion made by his mind to help him cope. He was nothing, a vapor at best, caught up in the whirlwind of agony that was a Philosopher's Stone. Despite the intensity with which he hurt, he did not cry out. He had been weak so many times lately, letting Umbridge and Fudge wring information out of him, letting Pride take over his body, letting the Aurors take Al away from him, and letting Filch and Umbridge reduce him to an invalid. _No more_, he told himself. _You're supposed to be Fullmetal! Try living up to your name!_

Just then, through the screams that circled him, he heard a voice, a familiar voice that he had finally come to connect with comfort and safety.

"Edward!"

"D… Dad?" His own voice sounded pitiful next to the strength of his father's call. He opened his imagined eyes and looked around, trying to see past the swirling masses of red that surrounded him. "Dad, is that you?"

"Yes, son. I'm right here. I've come to help you. Grab my hand, and I'll pull you out."

"I can't see you!" It could be a trick, another illusion woven by Father.

"Trust me, Edward. You have to reach out; I can't do it for you."

Maybe he should just ignore it. Believing in his mind's projections hadn't come to any good the last time, after all. _No, you idiot_, the smarter part of him chided. _If you have a chance to get out of this hell, you should take it! _Ed tentatively stuck his hand out in front of him, but one of the tortured souls knocked it back. Being so quickly routed made him feel pathetic… weak… _No! Dad's right there! You can't give up now! Where's that fighting spirit you were just telling yourself to get back?_

He focused, gathering his strength of will, and plunged his arm through the veritable wall of the tempest, finding nothing but air… until a warm hand grabbed his wrist and pulled. In another second, Ed was locked in his father's embrace. Even though this was a plane of existence beyond the physical, the hug was a welcome relief.

"Dad… how? How did you know?"

"Severus told me everything."

His somber tone made Ed's figurative stomach squirm. "Y… you're angry, aren't you? Al was, too, when he found out."

Hohenheim gripped his son even more tightly. "Actually, I'm not. My anger at this situation is not in any way directed at you, son. Had I been in your position, I may very well have done the same thing."

"Besides," he added, lifting Ed to a standing position, "Now that I know, I'm going to help you make things right, starting immediately. What do you say to _that_, Dwarf in the Flask?"

"He's here?" Ed's head whipped around, and he followed his father's gaze to where the Homunculus stood. The souls that had tormented him earlier had scattered as if frightened by Hohenheim's presence, and now they cowered obediently behind Father. The monster scoffed softly before addressing his old friend.

"I'm surprised you made it this far, Hohenheim. You really are determined. But, what is it you hope to accomplish by coming here?"

"That's quite simple: I want you to release my son. I will not stand for you calling him your property."

The Homunculus raised an eyebrow, deepening the creases across his pale forehead. "You want me to nullify the contract he made with me?"

"No."

Now Ed was really confused. He gaped at his father, hoping for some further explanation, but Hohenheim was already doing so.

"You've already revised said contract, so revise it again. Redistribute his payment."

"Dad, what are you…?"

Hohenheim smiled down at him. "Trust me, son. I know what I'm doing."

There it was again: Hohenheim asking Ed to trust him. Forgiveness had come eventually, but trust was harder to muster. Then again, his dad had never steered him wrong, so… why not?

"Okay," he said quietly.

The Homunculus cut back into the conversation. "You suggest a recalculation, but how else would you have him balance equivalence? Unless…"

"I think we both know exactly what I'm suggesting."

The Father of the Homunculi pondered for a moment, but then a satisfied smirk appeared on his face. "Very well, Hohenheim. I will agree to your terms."

_What terms?_ Ed thought, completely lost.

"But," added the monster, focusing his attention on Ed now, "remember, Edward Elric, even after I vacate your being, you will still be bound by an Unforgiveable Vow to be one of my sacrifices. If you do not come to me on the Promised Day, you will die."

Ed felt like yelling, _"That's not bloody fair!" _but he instead asked, "How will I know where to go, or when, for that matter?"

"I will provide the means when the time comes. After all, it would do me no good to leave you to mill about." That said, he turned to Hohenheim and nodded solemnly. On cue, Ed's father closed his eyes, and Ed felt a strange sensation. For some reason, he connected it with a distant memory of his mother pulling a tick off of his back. Something parasitic was removed from him, and, without it to hold him down, his consciousness rushed to the surface.

Ed gasped as his real eyes flew open. Once his vision calmed down to normalcy, he could see Hohenheim above him, sitting on one side of the bed. He was holding his own right hand, which was shaking as if recovering from some great ordeal. Ed could have sworn he saw something unnaturally red disappear under his father's skin through a vein, but he chose to ask simply, "Are… you okay?"

Hohenheim laughed genially. "Am_ I_ okay? Yes, Edward, but that's hardly worth considering. What's important is that _you_ are all right now." He glanced indicatively to Ed's chest, and the boy heeded the hint. Instead of the red brand he had become familiar with, the shape of the dragon eating its tail looked no different than his other scars, white and calloused. It took a few moments for the reality to sink in, and even after that, Ed found himself wondering aloud.

"I… I'm free?"

Hohenheim nodded, beaming. "Yes. He no longer has any direct control over you, and you won't have to worry about hearing him in your head, either. I was very thorough."

If joy and relief were liquid, Ed would have been drowning in them. Ignoring the aches remaining in his body, Ed half-leapt off the bed and flung his arms around his father's neck. "Thank you," he breathed, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "I… I really was an idiot, wasn't I?"

The strong arms enfolded him in warmth and love. "Your intentions were true, Edward; don't doubt that. But, all the same, I'd appreciate it if you didn't strain your old man's heart like that again."

"Sorry," Ed said a little sheepishly.

"You are completely forgiven, son."

After a long moment, Hohenheim patted Ed on the back as a signal for release, and the boy obliged. Now that the initial celebratory feelings had settled a little, a haunting question rose out of him.

"Dad? What did you agree to? You paid for this somehow, didn't you?"

Hohenheim placed a hand on Ed's left shoulder and met his son's gaze. "Don't worry about me, Edward. It is a small price to pay in exchange for your freedom."

"So, you're not going to tell me?"

With a wink, his father smiled. "No, I'm not. But rest assured that it's nothing too dangerous."

Ed sighed, accepting that Hohenheim did indeed have _"tighter lips than a bank vault,"_ as Mustang had said back in September.

"I wish I could stay longer, but there are some matters that Dumbledore asked me to tend to."

"Can't I come with you? It's not like there's a reason for me to be at Hogwarts now."

Hohenheim sighed. "I'm sorry, Ed, but I don't want to risk it. You're still more injured that you might realize. Please, stay hidden here and do as Severus tells you. Once you've mended… well, we'll see."

Exhaling heavily, Ed dropped his gaze to the bedsheet clutched in his hands. "Okay."

Hohenheim kissed the top of his son's head before walking toward the door. "Either way, I'll see you soon."

Not really comprehending the hint, Ed nodded halfheartedly. Only seconds after his father had left, Snape reentered.

"You're sitting up," he said blandly. "Don't push yourself."

Ed was about to deliver some snappy retort, but lightheadedness chose that moment to spin him around. The next thing he knew, Ed was back on his pillow, and Snape was looking down at him with slight disapproval.

"Your father _did_ just tell you to listen to me, didn't he?"

The blonde blinked. "You weren't eavesdropping, were you, sir?"

"Of course not. The fact was simply written all over your face."

Ed chewed on a bit of the inside of his mouth so he wouldn't feel the need to reply. Sensing that he had won that round, Snape moved on. "Roll over; I need to reexamine your wounds."

"Wounds, shmounds," Ed grumbled under his breath, but he flopped onto his stomach all the same. As Snape began muttering Healing Charms, Ed asked, "How long am I going to have to be cooped up here, sir?"

"Until I say otherwise. But, this recent turnaround may shorten that length considerably. I can't yet tell."

"Great…"

Ed suddenly felt the _whap_ of a book restrainedly smacking the back of his head. "Hey! What the hell?"

"You deserved that. Now behave."

Groaning, Ed said, "Yes, sir."

"Good." Finally finishing in the day's treatment, Snape rose. "Do you need a Sleeping Draft?"

"No… thanks. I'd rather do it on my own this time."

"Very well." Snape pulled the sheets back over Ed and instructed, "Then, get some rest. Your fever may have broken, but I don't want to take any risks."

"Yes, sir," Ed repeated, yanking the covers over his head as his bad mood threatened to get out of hand. After he heard the door close, he had half a mind to stay awake just to be mischievous, but his body's needs overwrote those plans, and soon Ed found himself sinking into a welcome and peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Come on, professor," Ed begged. "Just let me try."

"You could be too weak to handle your own weight," cautioned Snape.

"So you've said, but if I never try, I'll never know."

Snape sighed tensely, but Ed was determined. It had been about a fortnight since Hohenheim's visit, and Ed was feeling almost back to normal. Now he wanted to test his limits by standing and walking, much to Snape's dislike. Finally, however, the Potions Master relented. "Fine."

Grinning, Ed placed his feet on the cold stone floor and pressed his weight into them. His legs wobbled, and Ed wondered if Snape was right. Maybe he wasn't ready yet. Maybe he was still too weak.

"You don't have time to be weak!" the voice of the dragon snapped at him, making Ed jolt. "The day you've been waiting for is upon you! Can you not feel it?"

"What?" Ed said aloud by accident.

"What 'what'?" Snape answered, not understanding that he was not the addressee of the question.

"Nothing," amended the blonde quickly before speaking to Horntail in his mind. _Are you saying today is the Promised Day?_

"Something is most definitely different about this morning. The balance of magical energy is swelling like a high tide; that tells me something important will happen."

_You sound like a half-baked fortuneteller._

"Fine. Don't believe me. Ignore my words and drop dead as soon as midnight arrives."

Ed gulped. That was true; if he was wrong, he would pay with his life. _In that case, would you mind giving me a hand? I may not be able to do this on my own, and if I die, you'll be masterless again. We both benefit by helping each other._

"No need to write a whole defensive case. I wish to see the thrill of battle, and that can only happen if I supply you with the power you need."

Strength flowed into Ed, and he stood without trembling this time. After taking a few steps, Ed laughed. "There. See, professor? Nothing to worry about."

Snape looked skeptical, yet pleased. "Just be careful. Now," he said, checking a clock on the wall, "I'll be back in two hours. Please, don't do anything foolish while I'm gone."

"I'll do my best, sir."

Ed sat back on the bed for added emphasis, and Snape glided out the door.

"I think someone is coming who may be able to validate me," Horntail said after a few minutes.

_Huh? Who?_

A knock on the door cut off the conversation. After the sound repeated several times, Ed mentioned, "Hey! It's not locked."

Immediately, the door swung open. In the empty frame stood one the last people Ed would have expected to see in Hogwarts.

"Mustang?"

The Colonel grinned at him. "Hey, Fullmetal. You're looking a little worse for wear."

"Shut up," Ed grumbled defensively, standing again to show he wasn't as feeble as he might look. He then goggled, "What are you doing here, Colonel? How did you even _get_ here?"

"Your friend Ling – or Greed, I get them confused so much – came to get me. He used that Portkey Hohenheim made a while back. Then, once we got here, one of your friends told me where to find you."

Ed would have asked why McGonagall hadn't been the one to give the location, but then he remembered what Snape had told him just the previous night: that McGonagall had been severely injured dueling several Aurors and Umbridge. "Okay, but you didn't answer my first question."

"Oh, that. Well, I would think that would be obvious." Mustang's face grew a little somber. "We're going to kick the Homunculi's asses. It might be the last chance we get."

"Last chance?" Ed looked between Mustang and the ash wand.

"Told you so," the dragon said, and Ed could envision it was grinning.

Finally, Ed voiced his thoughts. "So… It's finally here: the Promised Day."

"Right. It all ends today." To Ed's surprise and confusion, Mustang smirked and said, "In the meantime, though… you have a special visitor. She showed up in my office this morning right before Ling arrived and, when told of the situation, begged until I agreed to bring her along."

Ed blinked, totally lost now. "She?" Mustang indicated with his thumb, and Ed followed the hint and glanced back toward the door. His eyes widened; surely he was hallucinating again. Surely… surely she couldn't… "W… Winry?"

His childhood friend beamed at him. "Hi, Ed."

Ed had thought about what he might do the next time he saw Winry: say hi like nothing had changed, beg for her forgiveness for his inexcusable affiliation with Lust, or... well… that last idea was possibly the most dangerous. But, it was also the one he felt he needed to carry out. If being around Solaris had taught him anything, it had helped him sort out his own feelings toward Winry. That little flutter that had sparked to life when Winry had kissed him on the train platform had grown and grown, until now… Ed felt like he might levitate off the ground from the sheer happiness of seeing her. Even as Winry said, "I'm really glad to see you," he rushed toward her, slipped his arms around her, and leaned down so that their lips met. After a long, blissful moment, Ed pulled back a little so he could see Winry's expression. Would she be overjoyed… or furious? Instead, he found simple shock etched across her features. Taking that as a good sign, Ed wrapped her closer into his embrace and rested his cheek against her neck. "I've… missed you," he managed, suppressing a lump in his throat.

He could feel her trembling, and for a moment, he wondered if he'd gone too far, too quickly. Then, Winry laughed softly and said, "So you finally figured it out." Her smooth arms slid up his back until her calloused hands touched his shoulder blades. "Took you long enough, dummy."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed could see Mustang looking quite smug, and he made a mental note to play some kind of prank on the Colonel as punishment for keeping him and Winry from being wholly in private. Before he could elaborately plan out said prank, however, the last member of the trio who'd arrived from Amestris appeared.

"Did I miss something?" the Xingese prince asked, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow. Ed and Winry, their moment effectively interrupted, finally broke apart, both fighting to keep the red in their cheeks to a minimum.

"Hey, Ling," said Ed.

"I'm Greed."

"Oh, whatever. It's too difficult to keep track. I think I'll just call you Greedling from now on."

"No, you will not!"

Ed was pleased that he'd gotten the Homunculus inside Ling riled up; a surging energy was giving him a strange urge to push people's buttons. _Are you doing that?_ he mentally asked his wand.

"You need to get moving," chided Horntail.

_Fine_. "So, Greedling, I hear it's finally the Promised Day. Are we heading out?"

The Xingese prince narrowed his red eyes at the taunting nickname, but Ling must have counseled the Homunculus to keep his cool. "Soon, yeah, but there's something you need to know before we go."

"What's that?"

Greedling took a deep breath and said, "Hohenheim's missing."

Ed had survived enough shock since coming to the Wizarding World, but this… this was a whole new whopper. "W… what? What do you mean, 'missing'?"

"Just that. I was with him, and then… he was gone. It was almost like he just wandered off without telling me."

"What, you mean you think he ditched you?" Mustang said with a little snort of skepticism.

"I don't know. Hohenheim's not the type to get lost, so…"

"Ed?" Winry suddenly asked concernedly. Ed had sunk back onto the bed, horror written on his face.

"He turned himself in to them," he whispered.

"What?" Mustang and Greedling gaped in unison.

"That was the price," Ed continued, talking more to himself than anyone else. "He surrendered." Pushing fear out of his mind, Ed got back to his feet, more cautiously this time. "We've got to get moving." He faced Greedling especially as he asked, "Do we know where we're going?"

The Homunculus closed his eyes, no doubt honing in on the connection that still linked him to his father. "The Ministry of Magic."

"Oh…" At first, the prospect seemed daunting, but then… "Then I know how we can get there quickly."

"You do?" said Mustang.

"No need to doubt me, Colonel," retorted Ed with a laugh. Striding over to the side table, he picked up the ash wand and stowed it in his pocket. Before following Mustang and Greedling out the door, however, Ed pulled Winry aside. "Winry, please stay here. You can tell Professor Snape where I've gone. Plus… I just don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

She smiled a little sadly, but she nodded in understanding. "Okay."

Feeling that she needed further words of reassurance, Ed placed his hands on her shoulders and breathed, "I'm coming back, and I'll bring Al home safely, too. I promise."

Forcing back a sniffle, Winry wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "You'd better, dummy, or I'll have to beat you to death with my biggest wrench."

Ed let slip a small laugh before gently pulling free of Winry's grasp. Once he had quickly put on his boots, he bolted after his friends.

"Damn," Mustang laughed as they strode briskly along the corridor, "you've actually gotten taller, Fullmetal. About time."

"Shut up." He led the two up staircases and down hallways until at last, they reached their destination wholly undetected. Ed held his wand at the ready as he knocked.

"Who's there?" tinkled a most hated voice.

"Please, Professor," said Ed, disguising his voice as one much younger, "It's important. I saw some sixth-years dueling in the courtyard, and it's getting out of hand."

"I see. Well, run along now."

He heard the scrape of chair legs, and he knew he'd hooked her. That woman relished the opportunity to punish students. "Get back," he hissed to Mustang and Greedling, and all three pressed against the wall on one side of the door (facing away from the direction Umbridge would have to take in order to get to the courtyard). The toady witch emerged from her lacey lair, locked the door behind her, and trotted along the corridor until she turned out of sight. As soon Ed was sure she was out of earshot, his mirth burst the seams.

"What's with you?" ogled Mustang as he had to half-drag Ed toward the office door.

"She's… so… stupid!" Ed howled with laughter, limiting him to a few words at a time. "To think… I was actually… afraid of her… for that one moment!"

"Try to put a lid on it," growled Greedling.

"S… sorry," Ed chortled at the tail-end of his laughing fit. He pointed his wand at the door and said elatedly, "_Alohomora_."

With a _click_ of the lock, the three entered, Mustang covering the rear. "Handy stuff, magic," the Colonel noted on the side.

"Yeah, I guess I've gotten used to it," Ed shrugged. He moved to the fireplace and grabbed the container in which Umbridge kept her supply of Floo Powder. "Bingo."

"Uh… Ed?"

"Yeah?" replied the blonde, turning to his superior officer.

"Are you sure you don't want to call on your wizard friends for back-up? We're about to head into the mouth of hell."

Ed thought about that for a moment, but then shook his head. "Between the three of us, that's a whole lot of trouble for the Homunculi. Plus, the students have exams, and I get the feeling Michael and Hermione would kill me if I pulled them away from those."

"Fine, then," Mustang shrugged, letting the idea go easily.

"Let's hustle our tails before that hideous woman comes back," Greedling tsked. "I don't fight women, after all."

"Noted," Ed said. He grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder and dropped it into the hearth, producing a dancing emerald flame. "I want to test it before we all jump in." Getting on his hands and knees, Ed said, "The Ministry of Magic," and promptly stuck his head into the green fire. His senses spun for a moment, but then he could see a large hall full of wizards who had the airs of businessmen and politicians. Pulling his head back into Umbridge's office, he nodded. "That's it. We're golden."

In another minute, the two alchemists and the Homunculus had each taken a fistful of powder and – following Ed's instructions – transported themselves to the Ministry. The large crowd made it easy for them to blend in, even in spite of Ed's bright red duster (he'd summoned it from his dormitory on their way to Umbridge's office). Mustang, who seemed to be feeling antsy, pulled on his ignition-cloth gloves inscribed with his characteristic Flame Alchemy circle, and Greedling began to harden his Ultimate Shield, starting at his fingertips. Ed didn't know why they were so nervous; the flamboyant décor of the witches and wizards around them was surely enough to conceal the anomaly of their presence.

"Guys," Ed told them, "Relax a little. I'd rather it was full of people than graveyard-empty."

"What's that about a graveyard?" asked a voice that sent a momentary chill up Ed's spine. The disguise was much better than Ed had seen in many months, but there was no mistaking that condescending tone.

"Well, hello there, Envy."

"_Envy_?" Mustang's eyes widened, and Ed realized he'd just made a mistake. The Colonel locked onto the disguised Homunculus with a livid gaze and, without further ado, snapped his fingers. The flames shot like streaks of lighting and hit Envy squarely in the eyes, blowing him back several feet and leaving him writhing on the floor, shrieking.

"Now you've done it," said Ed, gritting his teeth.

"That's the bastard that killed Hughes!" Mustang pressed, trying to get another shot at the Homunculus. Ed and Greedling restrained the Colonel's hands, but the trio had already drawn attention to themselves.

"What just happened?"

"Someone was attacked?"

"Where's security?"

Ed cursed under his breath. "This is not good."

Unfortunately, the uncomfortable eyes of the crowd distracted Ed for just too long. Envy, no longer disguised, leapt at him, knocking him away from Mustang and Greedling (the latter of whom received a kick to the face from Envy as well). Before Ed could even regain his balance, Envy had locked him in a chokehold and started dragging him away from the center of the commotion.

"Keep quiet," the green-haired Homunculus hissed. "Wand away… now."

It was infuriating how, even though he no longer had any obligation to follow Envy's orders, he still had to comply with them for the time being.

"Your two friends will have to fend for themselves against the wizards. Can't say it'll turn out too well for them, though."

Ed struggled against his captor's grasp, and his flailing caught Mustang's attention for a moment, but before the Colonel could act, Envy had pulled Ed deeper into the crowd and out of sight. At last, the two entered a side hallway that was deserted, and Envy loosed his hold enough for Ed to speak.

"Where… are we going?"

"Downstairs." Envy hauled his captive into an elevator and punched a button.

After several long minutes, they reached a dungeon-like floor, and a woman's voice announced, "Level Nine: Department of Mysteries."

"Uh… why here?" Ed wondered aloud as Envy forced him to walk forward.

"All in good time, Smallric."

"I'm as tall as you now, you bastard."

Envy snorted. "Maybe, but you've seen my true form, so you know you'll always be a pipsqueak next to me."

Ed considered trying to swipe at Envy, but the Homunculus cut him off.

"For one thing, we're going this way because that's where your little brother is."

"What? But I thought…"

"He was transferred down here early this morning. The higher-ups were sick of Weasley's stalling, so…"

"Is Al okay? Have they hurt him?"

Envy smirked cruelly. "I guess you'll get to see for yourself."

They reached the end of the dark corridor, where stood a smooth black door, exactly as Harry had described it from his dreams. Ed gulped; whatever was inside this place chilled him to the bone. Envy, however, twisted the knob without hesitation and pushed the door inward.

"Well, then, pipsqueak. In we go."

* * *

A/N: YAY! Ed's free! (well, mostly, at least…) An earlier draft kept him under the contract for longer, but… I decided to tie off that little piece of the plot before the big mega-battle gets underway.

For those of you who watch me on **deviantART** and know about my FMA OC Edmund… yeah… now Edward has a semi-matching scar (albeit less obvious) XD

Remember how Hohenheim semi-healed Izumi when he stabbed his hand into her stomach? I used that general idea… plus a healthy dose of father-son trust building. TvT "It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!"

I almost forgot to put in McGonagall being injured by those four Stunning Spells at once in the book chapter "O.W.L.s".

XD Umbridge… I would have let Ed beat her in a duel or something, but she had to be able to fulfill her role later that day with Harry and all that goes on.


	27. Promises Fulfilled

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me a while to get this chapter up. Writer's Block is rearing its ugly head, even though I know exactly what I want to happen (mostly…) I'm thinking it's going to be 30 chapters now…

Things are about to get exciting! (At least, I hope you'll find it exciting) ^_^

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**Guest**: No, Mustang isn't a sacrifice. You'll see in this chapter…

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**Promises Fulfilled**

To say the Department of Mysteries was _strange_ simply wouldn't have covered it. Envy pulled him along through half-a-dozen of the most bizarre rooms Ed had ever laid eyes on. If they hadn't been under a time crunch, he would have asked to hang back and examine all the "mysteries" of the Wizarding World; the scientist in him was having a hyperactive fit from the mere sight of all the tanks full of brains, glowing bell jars, and countless doors that led who knew where.

"No dawdling," Envy chided, cutting off Ed's wishful train of thought.

"Killjoy," the blonde muttered sourly under his breath.

At last, after having to backtrack several times to the first room, which was circular, ringed with identical doors, and terribly disorienting, they reached a dark, rectangular chamber that descended in the middle like an amphitheater. In the center of the room, at the lowest point, stood a large carved dais, and on that platform towered a great stone archway draped with a thin, tattered veil.

"Hey!" Envy called as soon as they entered the chamber. "I've got the older Elric brat!"

Ed heard the rush of swift feet, and some unknowable instinct kicked in. He turned his face away just in time so that the pair of dark lips attached to his jaw instead of his mouth. Even after she pulled back, he didn't look at her. Much to his consternation, however, his standoffish response made her laugh.

"What's with the cold shoulder, my Fullmetal boy?" said Lust, draping herself over his shoulders.

"For the last time, I'm not in any way _your_ Fullmetal boy." Relieved that he could finally lash out at the female Homunculus for her manipulative treatment of him, Ed roughly pushed her away. "I'm here to fulfill my part of the bargain, not to see you. So, unless you want me to kill you, don't touch me."

This time, he didn't let a shred of sympathy enter his heart as Lust's face fell into disappointment. Ed knew where his loyalties lay: back at Hogwarts… with Winry.

"Tough love," Envy snorted before slipping between the two and pulling Ed along by the arm. As they neared the dais and the archway, the shadowy figures in the pit came into focus. Kimblee was leaning on the outer side of the archway, as if entranced by a poignant piece of music only he could hear. Father stood ceremoniously on the edge of the dais, waiting to welcome one of his sacrifices, and behind him, sitting serenely on the stone, was-

"Dad!" Ed tugged out of Envy's grasp and ran to Hohenheim's side.

The sagely alchemist smiled warmly at his son. "I take it you figured out what I did, Edward."

Ed nodded, and a falsely angry expression flashed across his face. "Would it have been so hard to just tell me? It's not like I was in any condition to stop you."

"I didn't want to worry you," Hohenheim sighed as he stood. "Brooding over my situation wouldn't have helped you recover."

"How touching," sneered Kimblee. "I might just vomit."

"Go ahead and puke your guts out, for all I care, Kimblee!" snapped Ed in response.

"Speaking of guts, how's yours doing, kid? Envy says I left one hell of a scar."

Ed, boiling with pent-up vengeance, took a menacing step toward the Crimson Alchemist, but Hohenheim's hand on his shoulder cooled his head. In an effort to distract himself, Ed glanced around the room, re-checking his head-count: Envy, Lust, Father, Kimblee, Hohenheim, and himself. So, then…

"Hey," the blonde demanded, rounding on Envy. "Where's Al? I don't see him here."

"Oh, right," Envy grinned, slapping his forehead in fake forgetfulness. "Lust, you were keeping an eye on the younger brat, right?"

The female Homunculus nodded and pointed behind Ed. "He's right over there."

Ed whirled around, but still he saw nothing. Hohenheim's hand tightened a little on his shoulder, and the son glanced at his father instinctively. "Dad? What is it?"

Realizing that his grip had clenched, Hohenheim released Ed and tilted his head in the same direction Lust had pointed. "You'll have to see for yourself, I'm afraid."

Afraid? Why afraid? What had happened to Al to give Hohenheim such a forlorn expression? Ed jumped down from the dais and walked toward the lowest ring of stone steps. His eyes finally adjusted to the dimness of the room, and only then did he finally make out the glint of metal against the rough grain of rock. Lying on the stone bench was a circular sheet of steel, no bigger than a dinner plate, and on the sheet, Ed saw his own blood drawn into the familiar array of Al's seal. For a long moment, he couldn't digest what he was seeing, but then, a soft noise came from the metal.

"B… Brother?"

Ed's heart sank like lead. He fell to his knees beside the bench and shakily lifted the circular sheet into his hands. "Al… what… who did this to you?" Not waiting for an answer from his little brother, Ed glared back at the Homunculi. "Was it _you_?"

Father narrowed his eyes. "No, Son of Hohenheim. The wizards are responsible for his limited state, though it did make it easier for us to keep him in one place."

"And in one piece," Envy added cruelly.

Cradling what remained of Al under his left arm, Ed stomped up to the shapeshifter, automail fist raised, but before he could slug Envy, Kimblee caught his wrist.

"Don't tempt me to destroy this arm of yours, Fullmetal," he threatened.

The blonde threw his enemy a dirty look, but the feeble voice of his brother gave him pause.

"Ed… don't… don't start a fight… not yet… wait…"

The elder Elric grit his teeth, but he eventually quit resisting Kimblee's grasp, and the Crimson Alchemist released him. Just then, a sound he had not detected before came to his attention. Voices. Eerie, ethereal whispers drifting toward him from the archway, from behind the veil.

"Wh… what is that?" he found himself asking. "The archway, this whole room, what're they for?"

"The wizards who work in here call this the Death Room," said Envy, "but they've only scratched the surface of what they've _really_ discovered."

As Ed watched the veil undulate despite the absence of a breeze, he found his attention being completely and utterly drawn toward it, toward what was hidden behind it. One of the whispers was growing louder and clearer in his ears, one he had never thought he would hear again unless in his dreams. It was unmistakable: his mother was calling him, speaking his name over and over, beckoning him to her warm, comforting arms.

"Edward!"

Someone was holding him back, keeping him from going to her. "Let go," said a voice that must have been his, though he didn't recall speaking.

"Listen to me, Son. If you pass through that veil, you will _die_; understand?"

"But… Mom's there…" Why couldn't Hohenheim understand? His wife, Ed and Al's mother, was just behind that curtain. He could practically see her smiling at him through the gossamer barrier, holding out her hand, just waiting for him.

"Brother, stop!"

The unexpected strength of Al's voice pulled Ed out of his daze, and none too soon. Ed was barely half a foot from the veil when he came to his senses. Steeling himself, Ed remembered the undeniable truth: that the dead could not return. If this archway did somehow possess the power to connect the worlds of the living and the dead, then the trip from here to there would be one-way, and he had no intention of dying today.

Once his wits returned, he demanded of the Homunculi's father, "What _have_ the wizards discovered here? Envy's answer was dancing around it; tell me the truth, Homunculus!"

Father smirked condescendingly. "Why tell you, when you have just answered your own question?"

"I just asked for the truth, not a riddle!" Ed snapped. And then… it hit him. "Th… the truth..." He turned back to the archway, more cautiously this time. An arch: the symbol of a gateway, a passage… a portal. "But, how is that possible? Wizards shouldn't even be able to access the Portal of Truth, let alone create a tangible connection between it and our reality!"

"And, there again, is your naiveté," Father chided. "Magic has its own subtle balance, its own toll in Equivalence. You cannot _see_ it as you can with alchemy, but it is there, in the secrecy with which wizards must operate in the world, in the heavy responsibility that accompanies their power, and in the price they must pay when the rare handful of them challenge the natural order."

Ed mulled over that for a moment, but it still didn't sound equivalent to him. Reluctantly accepting that it was just over his head, the blonde focused on more immediate concerns. "So, are you going to use this to get whatever it is you've been after through this whole sacrifice thing?"

Father said nothing, but his solemn expression was confirmation enough.

"Which is what, exactly?" Ed pressed. "What _do_ you hope to accomplish in all this?"

"Son," Hohneheim cut in, gripping Ed's shoulder. "You won't get answers out of him, so don't-"

"And, why wouldn't I tell him, Hohenheim?" asked Father, sneering again. "I want to attain all the knowledge of this world. I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'knowledge is power,' so… if I gain complete and total knowledge, then power will follow, and I will have reached perfection."

Ed wondered for a moment if his jaw fell clean off. Despite the terrifying implications of the Homunculus's words, it sounded so… _silly_. "That's all?"

"Yes, Son of Hohenheim, that is all."

"And then you'd be content to go on your merry way?"

"Once I fulfill our bargain, yes."

Ed frowned. That monster was still plotting something; he could feel it.

"You wish for a sign of my sincerity?" Father asked, trying to discern the boy's expression. "I suppose that is fair enough. Bring your brother here."

Ed hated the way Father was still giving him orders, but he hesitantly complied, holding out the sheet of metal to which Al's soul remained bound. Father placed a hand on it, and Ed could have sworn he heard Al gasp. Before he could ask his little brother if everything was okay, the sheet shuddered before growing still, a stillness that carried with it a finality that chilled Ed to the bone.

"Wh… what did you just do?" he asked, his voice quivering. Had the Homunculus tricked him and… killed Alphonse? Had Ed just handed over his baby brother for slaughter?

And then, they appeared: two stone doors in the archway, hovering just off the ground in front of the tattered black veil. They swung open, and out of the darkness within emerged a mass of black hands. Ed's eyes widened and his mouth fell agape. The darkness unwrapped its thin coils, retracted into the Portal, and vanished, leaving only the archway with its veil… and a naked, emaciated boy on the stone dais at Ed's feet.

The world stopped. Ed couldn't breathe. He could only sink to his knees and stare as the boy stirred and, very slowly, looked up at him.

"E… Ed?" The tender voice was hoarse from lack of use, and the golden eyes blinked as they adjusted not only to the dim light of the chamber, but also to the physical world. Feeling so full of joy and relief that he feared he might explode, the elder brother reached wordlessly for the younger with trembling hands and pulled him into a close hug.

"I'm… back? Back to normal?" Alphonse asked at last, in shock as he took in the reality of his restoration.

"Yeah," Ed managed, gripping Al still tighter.

The younger Elric laughed softly. "You're so warm, Brother."

Pulling back momentarily, Ed noted," Yeah, but I bet you're freezing. Here..." He quickly pulled off his red coat and draped it around Al's shoulders before placing an arm around him again. "Better?"

"Mm," Al nodded, appreciating the soft warmth of the duster.

"Alphonse." Hohenheim now joined the brothers, giving Al a whiskery kiss on the temple. The gaunt boy giggled, and the sound filled Ed's insides more completely than a feast in the Great Hall ever could.

Over to the side, Ed could see Envy making fake vomiting convulsions as he mocked the humans and their petty familial displays of affection. Lust, however, was looking at him with that pitiful sense of longing again. He threw her a glare, and she compliantly dropped her gaze to the floor, knitting her brow bitterly.

"Is this gesture of my intent to follow through satisfactory, Son of Hohenheim?" asked the Homunculus.

Edward stood, leaving Al with Hohenheim, and marched over to the monster. "It'll do. But, now I've got another question: where are the other two sacrifices? You need five, right? So, where are they?"

"They'll be here. I've waited hundreds of years for today; it's a simple matter for me to wait a handful of hours."

"Hours? So, you expect us to sit around and behave until then?"

"Yes, boy, that is exactly what I expect you to do," said Father with more severity than before.

"Maybe you'd like some company while you wait," Lust offered, sidling up to him and slipping her arms around his left one.

"Not from _you_, no," snapped Ed, pulling his arm away from her. _For crying out loud! Get a clue already, woman!_

Leaving the Homunculi to their own devices, Ed returned to his family and sat by Al's side. "Greedling and Mustang came with me, but they got sidetracked. I have no idea how long it'll take them to find us down here."

"'G… Greedling'?" Al echoed, chuckling at the nickname Ed had given the Homunculus.

"Keep in mind, Son," advised Hohenheim, "that Ling's ability to sense the presence of Homunculi will lead him directly here."

"Yeah, but still… this place is a labyrinth." Ed's attention was then drawn back to his brother. "You okay, Al? You're shivering."

"J-just g-getting used to f-feeling ag-gain," stammered the younger Elric as his teeth chattered. " And, the f-floor is c-cold."

"Well, then," Ed smiled sympathetically, "let's see what I can do about that." He pressed his hands together and grabbed onto the coat hanging off of Al's scrawny shoulders, willing the shape to change. After the transmutation, the red fabric had reformed into pants and a sweatshirt, covering Al more effectively than the coat had. "How's that?"

"M-much better," said Al, clearing his throat afterward to try and improve the quality of his voice. Then, an idea came to him. "Ed? Could you help me up? I'd… I'd like to walk around a little."

"Are you sure you're up for that?" the elder brother cautioned. "You don't want to push yourself, especially when…" he dropped the volume of his voice by several decibels as he added, "especially when things could turn into a nasty fight."

"I wouldn't be any use in a fight either way," Al whispered with a soft laugh. "That's probably why the Homunculus didn't hesitate to bring me back; he knew I'd be too weak to take part a battle."

"And, he didn't want to risk the blood seal giving out while waiting for his other sacrifices to show up," Ed discerned. At length, he sighed and propped one of Al's arms over his shoulders. "Okay, then. Ready?" With effort, Ed and Al climbed down from the dais and proceeded slowly toward the ascending rings of stone benches, the elder steadying the younger's faltering steps. Ed was glad he had something constructive to do; simply _waiting_ for something to happen was definitely one of his pet peeves.

"Hey, you're doing pretty well, Al," he praised as they reached the spot where, only minutes before, Al had lain trapped in a helpless sheet of metal.

"I'm glad… you think so," panted Alphonse in reply. Seeing how worn out his little brother looked already, Ed sat on the bench, pulling Al down beside him.

"I told you not to push yourself."

"But, I don't want to end up an invalid for the rest of my life, either. It's good for me to walk around, even if it's only a little."

After a pause that stretched rather uncomfortably between them, Ed found himself asking, "So, do you… do you think you can forgive me now? For what I did?"

Al looked at him a little surprised, as if he'd completely forgotten in the excitement of getting his body back. Then, he remembered. "Oh… that…" He interlaced his fingers thoughtfully. "Yes. Now that we're both safe, now that I know those monsters can't bully you anymore… I can forgive you for making that deal, for doing that to yourself. You pushed through… just like I knew you would." Closing his eyes, Al's head slumped sideways onto Ed's shoulder. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought… I haven't slept in five years, after all…"

Exchanging a confirming look with Hohenheim, Ed shifted his and Al's position so that they could lean against one of the stone steps. "I'm pretty worn out, too; I'm kind of supposed to still be recuperating. When Professor Snape finds out I went gallivanting off to the Ministry, he might just burst a blood vessel. But, I left Winry to tell him, so her temper should keep his from getting out of control, at least."

"Why were you… recuperating?" Al asked groggily. "From Pride's… from Pride hurting you?"

"Partly from that, but I kind of… well…" Ed relayed what he could remember from Umbridge's interrogation of him, but he did his best to downplay the most painful parts. Even so, there was no fooling Al.

"That woman really is evil. You should be resting, too, then. Does any of it still hurt?"

"Nah. It's mainly that I've been feeling drained for the past few days. Thankfully, the dragon in my wand gave me a little energy boost."

"Then, you should save that for a fight."

"True…" Ed let his head slowly rest against the stone, while Al's remained on his right shoulder. "Dad's gonna make sure the Homunculi don't bother us, so what say we take advantage of that and just relax for a while?"

"Mm…" Al nodded lethargically, sort of nuzzling against the well-worn cloth of Ed's tank top. Ed wondered what it must be like, to re-experience all the sensations of touch for what must feel like the first time. If he had been anchored inside a Philosopher's Stone for five years the way Al had been inside that armor, would he have to undergo the same sort of transition upon reentering the physical world? Maybe not… that armor had never seemed to cause Al pain, just… emptiness, whereas a Stone… pain was the only thing one could feel in that hell.

_Come on, gloomy_, he chided himself. _Think of something positive for a change. Al's back… Al's safe… I'm gonna be able to kick the Homunculi's asses in just a few hours… everything's gonna turn out okay…_ As strange as it felt to think optimistically, Ed liked how soothing it was to do so, to the point where it washed over him in the form of sleep.

* * *

_BANG!_ Ed jolted awake to the sound of a door being slammed open. Al, too, opened his eyes and sat up straight. "What was that?" he asked quietly.

The answer was not far off. "Who's there?" called out a familiar voice... Harry's voice.

"What the… why is Harry here?" Ed goggled, getting to his feet. "Hey, Harry! What are you doing here?"

It wasn't just Harry, though. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Michael, and Kevin were with him. Upon spotting Ed, all of them jumped. "Wh… what are _you_ doing here?" Harry gawked in return.

"Not dying," Ed replied succinctly. "You?"

"Sirius has been kidnapped by Voldemort."

That took a moment to sink in. "Your godfather? Wait, and you came here because… Voldemort's _here_?" Ed whirled on the Homunculi for answers only to find that they weren't standing on the dais anymore. In fact, they must have either left temporarily or else blended in effectively with the darkness, making it seem as though they weren't present at all.

"Not _here_ in this room, no," Harry moved on, speaking quickly. "I think we're going to have to go back to the first room and test another door."

"Harry, how did you find out about Sirius? Through your scar?"

Harry nodded emphatically.

"Just… you can't always trust what your mind tells you. Believe me, I know from experience."

"I have to see for myself," Harry insisted.

"Fair enough. But, once you find out either way, feel free to come back here. I could use some extra wands."

"Michael and I can hang back here, if that's all right, Harry," suggested Kevin.

"Six is still a solid defensive number," pointed out Michael.

"Fine," agreed Harry, fighting impatience. "See you later, then, Ed." With that, he and the other five turned on their heels and raced back through the door, closing it behind them. Michael and Kevin descended to where Ed stood, and only then did they see Al for the first time.

"Merlin's beard!" squeaked the young Ishvalan upon catching sight of the emaciated blonde. "So, you got your proper body back? That's fantastic!"

"I'd say you're looking well, Alphonse, but…" Michael struggled to find the right way of putting it, "well, you're looking _better_, at least."

"Thanks," Al smiled, understanding Michael's intent with the compliment.

"Is it all over, then?" asked Kevin, turning to Ed now.

The elder blonde shook his head. "Not by a long shot. The Homunculi are still around here somewhere; they're probably still in the room, waiting for their other sacrifices to show up so their Father can reach perfection, or some such crap." Raising an eyebrow, Ed added, "Where's Terry?"

"He stayed back at Hogwarts to look after your girlfriend," said Michael bluntly.

"Well, he'd better not try to make a move on her, or so help me, I'll turn him into a butter-knife."

Kevin laughed. "But, you're lousy at Transfiguration, Ed."

"What's that?" Al piped up, gawking at his older brother. "Mr. Prodigy Genius and Youngest State Alchemist in History is _bad_ at something?"

"Let it go," retorted Ed a little sourly. "Transfiguration is the complete opposite of Transmutation; of course I'd find it difficult. Potions makes much more sense."

"Obviously," Michael taunted. "If you'd bothered to _take_ any O.W.L. tests, I'm sure Professor Snape would have awarded you the first ever O+."

"Shut up." He laughed even as he said it. "I was bedridden; how the hell was I supposed to take tests?"

This small talk went on for several more minutes, but eventually, silence closed in on the four boys.

"So, what now?" asked Kevin at last.

"Dunno," admitted Ed, "but I hope I don't have to wait around much longer to find out."

"Then you're in luck, pipsqueak. The show's gonna start any minute now."

The three wizards immediately rounded on the new voice, wands drawn, as Envy stepped out of the shadows.

"Put those down, already," the green-haired Homunculus sneered. "You'll have plenty of opportunity later."

"And why shouldn't we just destroy you now?" snapped Kevin quite bravely.

"Because, if you get in our way and prevent Father from getting what he wants, Smallric there will drop stone-dead, soon as midnight comes."

"You're bluffing," Kevin pushed.

"No, he's not," Ed sighed, lowering his weapon.

At his words, the two Ravenclaws also relaxed their grips on their wands.

"Where's Hohenheim?" Ed demanded next of the Homunculus.

"He's in the Hall of Prophecy."

"The where?"

"It's where your wizard friends when off to in such a hurry. He's there to make sure the Death Eaters don't rough them up too much."

"The WHAT?" Michael cut in, horror-struck. He made for the door, but Envy blocked the exit and kicked Michael in the stomach, forcing the dark-haired boy to the ground.

"Just stay there," the shapeshifter snarled in disgust.

"Michael!" Kevin hurried to his friend's side, but Ed's attention remained fixed on the monster.

"And what about your father and sister?"

"They went to greet the so-called 'Dark Lord.'"

"So, he _is_ here."

"Only just now," Envy laughed. "Look, pipsqueak: just stay put, and it'll all work out."

"I don't have to obey you anymore – that slip your mind?"

The smirk devolved into a bitter frown. "Shut up, runt, before I decide to put you down as soon as Father's done with you."

"Oooh, scary," Ed taunted, but he plopped back onto the stone all the same, crossing his arms and legs grumpily. Michael, who seemed to be only a little worse for wear after Envy's blow, returned to Ed and Al with Kevin alongside. The young alchemist gave his friends a sort of helpless smile that said, _"Sorry, guys. Guess we're stuck for now,"_ as they sat on one of the rough benches as well.

Almost as soon as they did so, however, the sounds of many footsteps echoed off the walls of the dim chamber. Ed turned toward the door just as it opened and a stream of black-robed people poured into the room. _Death Eaters_, Ed reasoned, clenching his fists as the fingers of his left hand began to itch for the ash wand. He exchanged a look with Michael and Kevin, and all three freed their wand-hands, ready to move.

"Brother…" Al must have noticed how his older sibling's back had straightened tensely.

"Al," answered Ed just as quietly, "if a fight breaks out, hit the floor and stay there; got it?"

"But, Ed-"

"Don't argue with me."

The Death Eaters had covered the floor around the dais by now; how the hell had roughly a dozen dark wizards gotten past the Ministry's security? Then again… it hadn't been so hard for Ed and his two companions to slip in. As if his thoughts had summoned them, Ed picked out two familiar faces among the newcomers, and a worried cry escaped his throat as he jumped back to his feet.

"Colonel! Ling!"

His comrades were both restrained by Death Eaters, wands at their throats. Mustang made eye-contact with Ed and sent a silent message: _"We're all right; don't do anything rash, Fullmetal."_

And then Father reappeared with Voldemort at his side. The snake-faced man gave Ed the same sadistic look he had in January, one that sent chills up and down Ed's spine. But, when the Dark Lord fixed Al with the same hungry glare, Ed sprang to his brother's defense. "Listen here, Noseless! You don't lay a finger on my little brother!"

Voldemort cackled. "My, my, you're remarkably like Potter, aren't you, Elric? Always trying to save your pathetic friends and family when you can't even protect yourself."

"Shut your damn mouth, before I transmute it clean off your ugly face!" It was amazing how shouting helped him forget how the sight of Voldemort turned his blood cold.

Several of the Death Eaters pointed their wands at Ed, eager to defend their master's honor, but Voldemort waved them down. "Patience, my servants." The pale wizard then turned to Father. "Well, Homunculus? Show me this power you spoke of. That _is_ why we are lingering here."

"We must wait for Hohenheim and the fifth to return."

"Ah, yesssss." The last consonant reverberated from Voldemort's mouth just as it would from a snake's.

"The fifth?" Ed blinked. "So, the fourth is now in the room?"

"Very good, Elric," smirked the Dark Lord, lazily applauding Ed's deduction.

The young alchemist immediately looked to Mustang. But… no, Pride had said Mustang was only a back-up. So, then… who was the fourth?

At that moment, another door at the opposite end of the room opened, and more Death Eaters entered, forcibly bringing with them Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Harry was with Hohenheim, who was whispering into the dark-haired boy's ear as if explaining something to him. In Harry's left hand was a glowing crystal ball, small enough to fit easily in his palm. What it was, Ed had no idea, but it must have been important because Harry was gripping it securely, and the Death Eaters around him were eyeing it with longing.

"Dad, what's-" but a meaningful look from Hohenheim cut Ed's question short. Once they reached the bottom pit, Ed asked Michael and Kevin, "Stay with Al for a sec, would ya?" before approaching his father again. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

"I don't need to; you'll see it plainly for yourself in moments."

"_Please_ don't be cryptic with me, old man."

"And now, all are assembled!" Voldemort cut in, his oily tone reverberating around the Death Room. Ed saw Harry tense in a combination of fear and rage, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the unknown orb like a lifeline.

"Hey," the blonde whispered, "don't get caught up in emotion, okay? That'll only give him an opening."

Harry turned to Ed, but his nod of acknowledgement seemed forced and fake.

"Come now, Homunculus. No more delays," the Dark Lord hissed impatiently.

"You watch your tone around Father, human!" Envy snapped, but Father blocked the shapeshifter with an arm.

Ignoring the larger conversation, Ed quietly asked Harry, "What was my dad talking to you about just now?"

"Huh? Oh, he was-"

"As you say, Lord Voldemort. There need be no further delays."

Father's bass voice was like a spell, imbuing near-total silence over those in the room. Envy, Lust, and Kimblee spread out from behind Father. The Crimson Alchemist pulled Al to his unsteady feet, but when Ed made to stop him, Hohenheim held him back by the shoulder. "This is the moment, Ed. Wait, and be ready to fight as soon as it's over."

"You still haven't told me what 'it' is."

"The Dwarf in the Flask has chosen as his sacrifices those who have opened the Portal of Truth; he's going to tap into those connections here at the rift between reality and the Portal in order to gain the power he wants."

"And we're just going to stand by and let him use us?"

"Isn't that why you made that deal with him, Edward?"

The boy gave no answer to that, but he chewed on his lip a little sheepishly.

"By no means, however, do I intend to let him keep his power once he's gotten it. The Order will be on its way soon enough; with all of us, this could be our chance to destroy him for good."

"Now _that_ sounds more like a plan." Ed grinned at his dad, but his attention was soon diverted.

"Come on, Edward," said Lust coldly, but Ed could sense she was still pining for him under that poker face. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Hohenheim and Harry.

"Do me a quick favor, Lust, and tell me who the other two sacrifices are other than Hohenheim and Al."

"Use your eyes," she replied tersely.

He did, but what he saw made little sense to him. The Death Eaters and their hostages backed away from the center floor up onto the rings of steps, but Voldemort remained, and no one forced Harry to move, either. Kimblee still had Al, and it was obvious to Ed that the psycho was gripping his little brother's arm painfully tightly. He'd pay for that as soon as Ed could cut loose. Envy finally circled to Hohenheim and Harry, but much to Ed's bewilderment, the shapeshifter took the young wizard's arm and yanked him around the edge of the dais. Ed stared, uncomprehending for a long moment, until… _Harry? HARRY'S A SACRIFICE?_

"What the hell are you playing at?" Ed snarled under his breath at Lust. "Harry's not an alchemist! On top of that, if he had performed Human Transmutation, I think I'd know!"

"Alchemy isn't the only way one can reach the Portal. Think about it, Edward: Voldemort and Harry both survived the Killing Curse, even though they are mere humans. Well… Voldemort maybe not, but he's close enough. The point is that, in that moment of brushing death, they may as well have performed Human Transmutation."

"You're kidding.

She wrenched his arm slightly, making him wince. "Do I sound like I'm kidding? Do I sound in the mood to be making jokes?"

"You _sound_ like a whiny little girl who can't accept that the guy who put up with her out of coercion has dumped her and moved on."

He could feel her Ultimate Spears digging into his flesh. Before they could trade any more insults, however, Father climbed onto the dais and approached the archway, smirking with anticipated triumph. He flicked a long finger, and Lust tossed him Ed's wand. The young alchemist hadn't even noticed her slip it out of his pocket. The instant that the blood-red wood touched Father's hand, Ed felt all of his borrowed strength evaporate, and he nearly collapsed in Lust's grasp. After she forced him to stand up again, Ed noticed that the five were now aligned equally around the dais in a circle: Al, Voldemort, Hohenheim, Harry, and himself. Five points… just like the circle from the Fifth Laboratory or the nationwide circle Father had been preparing in Amestris. Even though he'd been bracing himself for this moment for so long, he still found himself shaking a little. He knew this wouldn't kill them – otherwise, Voldemort would never have voluntarily participated – but still… would it hurt?

Father carved a transmutation circle into the surface of the dais, using Ed's wand to gouge out the shallow cracks. Once he had finished, he pointed the wand at the archway, and red lightning shot out of the tip, the same kind of static energy that overflowed from a transmutation aided or powered by a Philosopher's Stone. _This is it_, Ed thought, gulping. A tugging sensation built up in his diaphragm, and, when Ed looked down, he saw an eye identical to the one in the Portal of Truth hovering right in front of his torso, as if coming _from_ him. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it filled him with an eerie tingling, as if some power he'd only tapped into was being drawn out of him through that eye. The same thing must be happening to the others, but Ed couldn't tear his gaze away from that haunting sliver of an orb, so cold in the way it observed him and the outside world.

Something was rushing past him, or maybe even through him, a different kind of energy. He recalled what Lust had said back at Christmas: _"The fascinating thing about the Wizarding World is that these people don't realize how much energy they leave lying around in the wake of their spellcasting and wand-waving. They can only use this residual energy to trace magical activity, but an alchemist with enough talent, like Father, can actually harness this discarded power."_ So, _this_ was the cumulative power generated by magic. Dying to know what was going on around him, Ed finally made himself look up, and sure enough, the surge of energy was taking form around the Homunculus. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Ed thought he saw an enormous dragon of energy similar-looking to the one emblemized by Ouroboros encircling the dais, spiraling up toward the dark ceiling. The doors of the Portal appeared once again in the archway and swung open, the black hands latching onto Father. Despite the fact that the spindly hands were formed of darkness, Father's body glowed with a light so blinding that Ed shut his eyes.

And then, with an outward _whoosh_ of wind, it suddenly seemed to be over, and Ed opened his eyes again. A small cloud of dust hovered atop the dais, as if the spot where Father stood had been struck by lightning. When the haze dispersed, the Homunculus faced them all, and Ed had to double-take. The monster had been rejuvenated, to the point where he could almost have been Ed's older brother instead of his father's look-alike. It was somehow more frightening that the bearded bastard's previous form.

"Well done, my sacrifices," said the Dwarf in the Flask. "Your purpose has been served."

Ed grit his teeth indignantly. "Then, it's time to pay up, Homunculus! You said you'd give my dad-"

"Ah, yes." Without even moving, the monster acted. Small globules of red shot out of Hohenheim's body, jolting the man so much that he was left breathless on his knees in the aftermath. "There," said Father, "I have removed the Philosopher's Stone from inside him, and he is mortal from this moment forward."

"Dad! Are you all right?" called Al from across the dais.

The sagely alchemist lifted an affirmative hand as he steeled himself. Ed couldn't blame him; after having listened to the screams of souls for over four hundred years, Hohenheim surely needed a moment to adjust his senses to the restored silence. In the meantime, Ed was more worried about Harry. He realized now that Hohenheim had warned the young wizard about what was going to happen, but he still looked shaken, and that was something Ed couldn't afford to let him be when Voldemort was in the room, already turning his eyes toward the scar-marked boy. It was time to make a move.

Ed elbowed Lust in the ribs, throwing her off-balance enough for him to wriggle out of her grasp. His timing could have been much better; Voldemort was raising his wand in Harry's direction, and Envy, getting the hint, was backing away from the dazed wizard. "GET DOWN!" Ed pulled his friend to the ground just as a jet of green light whizzed past both of their heads. Instantly, an all-out wizards duel began, with the Death Eaters on one side, and the Hogwarts students, Mustang, Greedling, and Hohenheim on the other. The remaining Homunculi and Kimblee merely observed, and Ed cursed under his breath. _Yeah, sure you turned on Voldemort, but that doesn't mean you're going to help us fight him_.

When Harry's eyes still had that glazed look even after the ruckus picked up, Ed shook him and yelled, "Dammit, Harry! Pull yourself together!"

"Huh? Oh, r…right," stammered Harry, pushing his glasses more securely up his nose and redoubling his grip on both his wand and the mysterious orb.

"What is that thing, anyway?" Ed gaped as both boys got to their feet, Harry deflecting spells, and Ed dodging them or creating barriers to absorb them, since Father still had his wand.

"I dunno exactly. Malfoy's dad said it's a prophecy about Voldemort and me."

"And you believed him?"

"Like I said, I dunno. Let's just focus on the battle for now, okay?"

He had a point there. Ed could already tell that their side was being hard-pressed. At this rate… But then, seemingly out of nowhere, new voices and spells entered the fray. The Order had arrived: Sirius Black, Lupin, Mad-Eye, Tonks, and Kingsley. Now that some backup had appeared, Ed was desperate to make sure his little brother was okay. Leaving Harry's side, he ducked under stone benches to reach the spot where Kimblee had been holding Al… where Kimblee was _still_ holding him, except by the throat now.

The Crimson Alchemist smirked at Ed and said, "The boss said your purpose has been served, which means I'm at liberty to kill you now."

"Get the hell away from him!" Ed screamed, drawing his hand-blade and lunging toward the psycho. Kimblee stretched out a hand to intercept Ed, but the limber young alchemist slashed the man's palm, just as he had in the Forbidden Forest.

"Using the same attack?" Kimblee cackled, ignoring the pain of his wound. "How stupid can you-"

But, Ed wasn't finished. Retracting his weapon, he vaulted upward, forcing his weight against Kimblee's diaphragm and knocking him to the ground. Al slipped free of the man's grasp and slumped to a sitting position, coughing and gasping.

"Al! Are you-" but he stopped when Al shakily pointed behind him. In another instant, Kimblee had locked Ed's head in the crook of his elbow, squeezing like a vise.

"You dropped your guard, little boy. Now it's gonna cost you your life."

For a moment, Ed panicked as the images of the surrounding battle swam before him. Only after mentally slapping himself did he press his hands together and grab onto Kimblee's forearm. With a sickening _crack_, Ed knew his transmutation had successfully shattered the bone. The alchemist groaned in pain, and his grip weakened for an instant. Immediately, Ed whirled around, forced Kimblee to the ground again, clambered on top of him, and pounded the villain's face with all the anger and energy he could muster. After a few minutes under the barrage, Kimblee lay motionless.

"Is… is he…?" Al panted.

"No," said Ed after feeling for the alchemist's pulse. "If I'd killed him, I'd be no better than him. But, he'll be out cold for a good while, I'd wager."

"Come on," he added, coming alongside Al and supporting him. "I want to get you out of harm's way."

"Okay."

But that was when both brothers heard a maniacal, frenzied cackle. Turning toward the source of the noise, they saw a female Death Eater with a mane of tangled black hair fiercely dueling Hohenheim and growing increasingly frustrated by how easily he was thwarting her assault. Her attacks grew in desperation and potency, until finally both wands flew out of their owners' hands. Ed thought surely the duel would go to Hohenheim, because he still had alchemy at his command, but he didn't take into account two things. One, Hohenheim was accustomed to performing alchemy with the aid of a Philosopher's Stone, an advantage which he no longer possessed. Two… the crazed witch had a knife concealed in her robes. In a flash of silver, the woman lunged forward, shrieking, and sunk the dagger hilt-deep into Hohenheim's stomach.

The gasp that built in Ed's throat was nothing next to Al's terrified scream. "DAD!"

Not even bothering to retrieve her Muggle weapon, the witch grabbed her wand. She would have landed a killing blow if Tonks hadn't suddenly stepped between Death Eater and victim, pressing the witch away from Hohenheim to another end of the chamber. Speechless, Ed ran to his father's side, Al as close behind as his weak body would allow.

"D… Dad," Ed choked, futilely placing his hands around the wound to try and stem the slowly oozing flow of dark, thick blood. This was _his_ fault; he had pressed the Homunculus into giving Hohenheim mortality, and this was the punishment for his impatience. "Dad, I'm so sorry, I-" He didn't even realize he was crying until the tears started dampening Hohenheim's shirt.

"Not… your fault, Son…" He was surprisingly calm, taking slow, deep breaths. "Don't worry about me…"

"How can you say that, you stubborn old man?" Ed's hands were now dyed in his father's life-blood. Al had reached them by now, and he clasped Hohenheim's hand, no doubt clinging to the warmth that he had so recently been able to feel again. The brothers exchanged a glance of desperation; Ed felt so utterly helpless. He didn't know any Healing Charms, and he didn't even have his wand. His wand… maybe Horntail could give him a spell to use. "Stay with him, Al."

"What are you going to do?" asked the younger Elric worriedly. "Ed-"

"I'll be back in a moment. Just… stay there." With that, he vaulted back onto the dais. Voldemort stood atop it now, too, facing the Dwarf in the Flask with murder in his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this, Homunculus?" he demanded. "You promised you would share this power!"

With a completely deadpan expression, Father replied. "I lied."

Howling with rage, Voldemort cast a single Killing Curse at Father, who absorbed the attack as if it was nothing. Before the Dark Lord could fire another spell, however, Father thrust the dark wizard backward toward the top tier of stone benches with sheer force. Voldemort recovered from the setback just in time to see someone enter from the opposite side, someone who inspired actual fear in his face. Whirling around, Ed saw Albus Dumbledore, and he sighed in relief. _They were saved_. But, in the meantime, Ed still had his own problem to deal with.

"Homunculus! Give me my wand!"

Father cocked an eyebrow and twirled the weapon in his hand. "Why should I?"

"You haven't finished fulfilling our agreement! My arm and leg… and on top of that, you used all of this against me to put my family in danger!"

Father stepped closer, towering over him even in his new, younger form. "Ah… well, you see, your father interfered with the arranged proceedings. I did recalculate your price… but not quite how he thought I had."

"You damn bastard!" Ed swung at the monster, but Father caught his human arm and squeezed it painfully.

"Now, now, is that really the way to talk to me, after all we've been through?"

"Shut up! Let me go and fulfill the damn agreement already!"

"As you wish." For a moment, Father let go of his arm, and Ed thought all was well. But… that was before the Homunculus thrust his arm into the boy's chest.

Screams resounded from all around the room, but Al's was by far the loudest. "ED!"

"Ed!" _Was that Kevin?_

"Fullmetal!" _Mustang…_

"Oh, my God!" _That sounded like Ron… maybe…_

Shock setting in, Ed hacked up blood; he could feel the monster's fingers around his heart.

"This… is your payment. The price I always intended to extract from you, in fact."

Ed's eyes widened as the nightmare he'd had the day after Christmas came back to him. Envy's words echoed in his ears, _"You get to graduate from property to little brother. Isn't that nice?"_

"No…" The Homunculus's grip tightened as Ed begged, "P… please…"

"ED!" Al was crying, torn between trying to aid his brother and staying by his father's side.

"You have evaded this role for long enough, boy. And now, your time is up." The hated fingers pierced his vital organ, and utter agony flowed into him. Even after Father had extracted his arm from the smaller blonde and the wound had alchemically sealed itself, Ed's insides burned. Every part of him was breaking only to be rebuilt by the Stone Father had just forced into his heart. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't think. He fell sideways onto the dais, and a voice he should know better than any other was still screaming his name. Who was it again? Whose name did he know so well? And what… what was _his_ name? It wouldn't come to him, no matter how hard he tried to push through the screams of the human souls that had taken up residence inside his being. The voice that should be familiar to him was calling from so far away, and the one repeated word no longer made sense to him.

Nothing made sense… except anger.

Fury.

Wrath.

* * *

A/N: Aaaaaaah! WHY DID WRITING THIS CHAPTER TAKE SO LONG? *headdesk*

You know how Kimblee says screams are like a lullaby to him? So, I thought the voices of the dead coming from the archway would be similarly soothing to his ears.

Ugh, I dreaded having to explain about Voldy and Harry being sacrifices, so… I hope it makes enough sense to you all. If you're wondering why Voldy willingly volunteered, he thought he was going to get to share in the power (the doofus).

**EDIT**: I added in some more description of the big transmutation so that is would seem less "poof, all done."

I kind of passed over lots of the canon battle parts because the POV is all Ed… Plus, the fight between the six students and the Death Eaters didn't happen because Hohenheim intervened.

Speaking of Hohenheim… I'm cruel, aren't I?


	28. Wrath

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I added this part as a separate chapter rather than try to squeeze it into the two adjacent chapters. It's a shorter chapter, but long enough to be on its own.

Also, I added in a few paragraphs back in Chapter 18 to explain how Ed's automail limbs still work length-wise with the rest of his body (thank you to the reviewer who pointed out that plothole to me).

Editing note: I realized recently that I've been calling Ed a _blonde_ when I should be calling him a _blond_ (with no 'e' at the end). I may go back and fix that spelling at some point, but it's not a huge deal.

REVIEW RESPONSE TIME:

**JayneParker**: You are right that Ed's birthday is generally accepted to be Feb. 3rd in the FMA fandom. At the time I was planning out this story, I temporarily began considering it to be Sept. 15th instead because of a bio for Ed that I read. Upon later perusals, however (and a tip from a reviewer about how the math didn't add up), I've defaulted back to Feb. 3rd for every other FMA story that I have. But, since having Ed's birthday in September worked with _this_ story, I'm not going to try to change it. Thank you for mentioning it, though. ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 28**

**Wrath**

"FULLMETAL!"

Colonel Mustang let loose another firestorm against the dark-robed wizards around him. Though they conjured up some form of shield, they still moved back from him with fear in their eyes. If he could see himself, he probably would have run, too. Roy next sent a stream of flame directly at the head Homunculus honcho, but the demonic being who so hauntingly resembled the Elrics reacted no more than as if a piece of dust had just landed on him. Rage hotter than any flame built up in Mustang's chest. That monster had hurt Fullmetal. No one, _NO ONE _hurt one of Colonel Roy Mustang's subordinates and got away with it; Lust had already learned how painful it was to suffer the consequences, even though the slippery bitch had survived the experience.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Mustang bellowed as he approached Father, blasting aside any Death Eater who got too close to his boiling temper. "IF YOU'VE KILLED HIM, I SWEAR I'LL-"

"You humans certainly are fond of making empty threats, aren't you?" the Homunculus smirked. Roy was now close enough that he could see Ed. The boy was thrashing on the dais at the monster's feet, streaks of red lightning ripping out of his body on all sides, tearing him apart and putting him back together. In the background, Mustang could see a distraught Alphonse at his father's side, screaming Ed's name over and over. Even the wounded Hohenheim's face was filled with terror.

"What are all of you making such a fuss about?" continued Father. "The boy is most certainly not dead. In fact, I'd argue that he's never been so alive."

"You shut your damned mouth, bastard!" Roy let loose a close-range attack, but Father didn't move a muscle. Infuriated, the Colonel instead climbed onto the dais and approached the still-twitching form of Edward. He could hear the dark wizard known as Voldemort shouting somewhere else in the room, but that didn't matter. Roy Mustang didn't give a damn about the wizards' problems; right now, Ed was his main concern. "Fullmetal! Answer me, dammit!" He crouched down to lay a hand on Ed's metal shoulder (which, though scorched and warped by the destructive transmutation, was amazingly still intact), but the movement was like a trigger. An instant later, the boy was on his feet, and his automail hand was clenched around Roy's throat. "Dammit, Ed! It's me!"

That was when he saw the young alchemist's face. The wide red eyes that gleamed at him held nothing of the pompous, stubborn, endearing brat he knew; there was something unnervingly… mindless and animalistic about those shining crimson orbs.

"Ed?"

With a snarl, the boy shoved the taller man off the side of the dais. Mustang barely had time to land roughly on his back before the young alchemist had leapt on top of him, reaching for his throat again. Instinctively, Roy threw a punch, knocking Ed to one side.

"If that's the best you can do," said Father disapprovingly as several of the surrounding duelers shot useless spells at him, "then this will be over quickly. Wrath, kill him."

Ed stiffened, as if an electric current was pulsating through him. Lightning was still blasting out of him at odd moments, meaning that the Philosopher's Stone was still attaching itself to him. Maybe… maybe if Roy could just get it out of him… But, even as he reached toward the spot where Father's hand had speared Ed, the monster taking over the boy turned on him with those red eyes of hate.

"Fullmetal, snap out of it!"

But Ed couldn't hear him, since the fight with the Stone was overpowering his consciousness. Again, he lunged at Mustang, more accurately this time, and Roy couldn't make himself attack. A second later, Ed's fingers were around his throat, but the squeezing motion was slow and jagged.

"T-that's it, Ed." Roy found himself half-choking already. "Keep fighting it…"

"_Stupefy!"_ A red jet of light connected with Ed's head, and he slumped to the ground. Gasping, Roy scrambled to his feet to see who had shot the spell: the Ishvalan boy, Kevin.

"D…did it work?" the wizard asked hesitantly as he came alongside Mustang. "Is Ed gonna be okay now?"

Roy wished he could say, _"yes,"_ but he had a horrible feeling that Kevin had unintentionally just made things worse by taking Ed's conscious mind out of the game. He tugged at the fabric of his gloves, determined not to hesitate this time. If he could just burn up even the majority of that Stone…

Father was laughing again, and it was really pissing Roy off. In the moment he took to glare at the Homunculus, however, Wrath seized the opportunity.

"Aah!"

Rudely brought back to earth, Roy saw the still-developing Homunculus threatening Kevin now, one hand restricting the Ishvalan's wand movement, the other pulling the younger boy's head to the side, preparing to break the neck. _Dammit_. He'd have to be pinpoint accurate for this first one_. I'm sorry, Fullmetal; this is going to hurt like hell_.

One snap and a transmutation later, the thing that should be Ed screamed and released Kevin, his hands now protectively covering his eyes. That pitiful sound… it wrenched Roy's gut in ways he didn't think possible, even after all the screams he'd heard during the Ishvalan War. Before Kevin could get caught in the crossfire again, Roy told the boy, "Leave Ed to me. I promise, I won't let this demon have him."

The Ishvalan nodded and, seeing that Alphonse and Hohenheim could use his help, headed in that direction through the dueling Order members and Death Eaters. From the looks of things, the latter side was losing ground _and_ members at a faster rate than the former was. _We'll win this thing yet_, Roy thought to himself before returning all of his attention to Ed.

"Fullmetal!" he barked with his typical authority. "You are to fight that thing until it's out of you; understood?"

For a brief moment, the two made eye contact, and Roy knew there was hope, that Ed was indeed still in there. He raised his gloved hands again, ready to reduce that Stone to dust.

"Colonel!" Alphonse called in desperation once Kevin had reached him and Hohenheim and begun to incant Healing Charms over the latter. "Please, don't hurt him!"

"I won't any more than I have to in order to kill the Homunculus," Mustang assured the younger Elric before sparking another flame. He did Ed the dignity of not burning off his pants, but the fire clung to him waist-up. Wrath wailed in agony, rolling on the floor in an attempt to put out the flames, but every time a portion of the fire extinguished, Roy replaced it with one even hotter.

"You really are a meddlesome alchemist," said the Father of the Homunculi from right behind him. Roy stiffened in alarm. When had that bastard moved? He whirled on the demonic being, forcing him to take a step backward in Wrath's direction. His concentration broken, Roy almost immediately felt fingernails digging into his ankle. Sure enough, the monster devouring Edward was clawing at his leg, snarling incoherently.

"Get off!" Roy yanked his foot away and kicked the incomplete Homunculus in the head. He was almost certain he heard a jaw break upon contact.

"Colonel!" Al yelled indignantly, horrified that Mustang had just been so violent with his brother, regardless of his current state.

"I'm trying!" Roy shouted back. "It's a little _difficult_ when he's trying to _kill_ me, okay?"

"And, he isn't the only one," added Father, flicking a finger at Mustang. Roy felt several of his ribs snap, filling his chest with throbs. One of the splintered bones must have punctured through his skin, because the front of his shirt began to turn red around the point of injury. _Dammit_. The pain blurred his vision, but the demon was still closing in. No, he couldn't die here! Ed needed his help!

_SHNK!_ Over a dozen stone spikes jutted up from the floor, skewering the Homunculus from many angles. Roy glanced over, and, sure enough, Alphonse's palms were pressed against the ground, surrounded by the dwindling sparks of a transmutation. _Thanks for the assist, Al_. While the monster was off-balance as he began to disentangle himself from the rudimentary spears, Roy let loose a contained firestorm, engulfing the Homunculus completely. This time, the attack got through and caused the monster some actual pain, however slight.

"YOU WORM! HOW DARE YOU?" That voice, it belonged to Envy. The shapeshifter leapt at him from above, but Roy was more than ready to deal with this one.

"I've got some for you, too!" he announced, enwreathing Envy with another bonfire. Now _those_ screams… he felt better hearing those. They wouldn't bring Hughes back – nothing could – but they brought a strange satisfaction to him all the same. For a moment, Mustang wanted to forget about everything else, to focus all of his attention of Envy until the Homunculus had dissolved into a pile of ashes.

But then… he remembered the warning Lieutenant Hawkeye had given him before he'd left with Greedling and Winry for England. He'd bickered with her for nearly an hour because the stubborn woman wanted to accompany him, but eventually he'd talked her out of it. At last, she'd sighed and said, _"Sir, if you end up fighting that Homunculus, the one called Envy… you can't afford to lose your head. I won't be there to watch your back this time, and that means I can't keep you from straying from the path, either. So… please, sir, don't forget what I'm telling you now. Because if you do… if you were to lose yourself in that battle… then you know what I'd have to do."_

"_Shoot me, I know,"_ he'd replied offhandedly. However, when the seriousness of her tone had really sunk in, he'd asked, _"And… after you'd done that, what would you do?"_

She hadn't met his eyes as she'd responded, _"Then, I would end this curse I carry, this mark of flame alchemy. I'd remove it and myself from the world. I have no desire to go on alone… sir."_

Roy had placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled sadly at her. _"Well, we can't have that. We both know I can't afford to lose you, too. I promise, Lieutenant, I won't stray from the path."_

And now that promise was being put to the test. He _couldn't_ let his hate for Envy cloud his judgment. Ed was counting on his help. The monster consuming the young alchemist had repaired itself by now and was fixing its gaze on Roy again. _That's right. Come at me, Wrath. I'll kill you as many times as it takes to find Fullmetal in there. _Before either could attack, however, Father freed himself from Alphonse's trap with an outward blast of alchemical power that sent Mustang, Wrath, and Envy flying. Even Al was forced onto his back where he sat. As Roy tried to get up, he saw something curious. Even when not healing, Wrath's body continued to contort and partially explode at odd moments. The Stone was _still_ trying to connect to Ed's body?

"Hey, Colonel." Greedling came alongside and pulled Roy to his feet. "So, you noticed it, too? About Ed and the so-called Wrath not being as cooperative as Greed and I are?"

"That's why the transmutation hasn't stopped? Because Ed's still fighting?"

Greedling nodded. "But, if he keeps it up, he might burn out all of his own soul's energy."

"You mean… it could kill him?"

"It would kill the Ed we know, and only Wrath would remain."

"Dammit! I'll just have to work quickly, then." Roy snapped, and Wrath writhed as fire lapped at his head and torso.

"Wait!" The voice coming out of Ling's body changed, showing that Greed must have just taken control. "There's a better way to do this."

"You damn filthy traitor!" howled Envy, clawing Greedling across the face before Mustang set him ablaze again.

"You were saying?" the Colonel encouraged, speaking loudly over the noises of battle.

After Greedling's cheek healed itself, the Homunculus continued. "Right. I just need to get in close, and then… I think I can undo what Father's done."

"Really? But… isn't Wrath supposed to be the best fighter among the Homunculi? Won't he keep you from getting that close?"

Greedling shook his head and pointed to the recovering Wrath. "Haven't you noticed? Because the Stone isn't secure inside the kid's body, Wrath isn't in a state to fight at his best. Also, the Ouroboros hasn't appeared on his left eye; that's a sure sign that Ed isn't down for the count yet, and that's all the advantage I need." The Xingese prince dashed quickly over the increasing amounts of rubble from the wizards' destructive duels, coming at Wrath from the side. The incomplete Homunculus tried to defend himself, but Greedling was faster. Even as the monster swung a punch with Ed's right arm, Greedling ducked under the strike and landed one of his own… spearing Ed in the exact same spot where Father had, only minutes ago. Wrath stiffened, arching his back and howling in pain, yet unable to do much more.

"LING! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" That had to have been the first time Roy had ever heard Alphonse swear. To be wholly honest, it was rather a shock to his ears.

"Trust me!" Greedling shouted back to the younger Elric. "Colonel! Mind covering my back?"

"Not at all." After sending another spurt of flame Envy's way, Roy spun in a circle to get his bearings on the situation. There were hardly any Death Eaters left now, though some had fled for the main hall of the Ministry, probably to attempt escape through that method of fireplace-travel that Greedling, Ed, and he had used earlier. The witch who'd attacked Hohenheim had defeated the pink-haired witch from the Order and had moved on to a new opponent, a man with long black hair and a sort of casual elegance. Voldemort and Dumbledore had demolished nearly half the room in their duel, which was still going on to one side. However, most of the Order and Hogwarts students, having beaten their Dark Wizard opponents, had now turned their wands on the Father of the Homunculi. He might have had more trouble blocking their attacks if he didn't have Edward's wand, but even so, with half-a-dozen of the wizards keeping his attention, that left Roy and Greedling open to deal with Envy and Wrath (where Lust had slipped off to, Roy didn't know). "How's it coming, Greed?"

"Working on it," replied the Homunculus. His features were scrunched up in concentration. "Come on… come on… there's a bigger, stronger Stone right here. Why won't you come to it, Wrath?"

Roy blinked. _That_ was Greed's better way, to take Wrath's Stone for himself? Then again, there was a reason the guy was named _Greed_...

"Come on, dammit!" shouted Greedling, slapping Ed across the face with his free arm. "Wake up and smell the opportunity, kid! I've got your way of escape right here! So, come and take it already, for crying out loud! You hear me, Edward? ED!"

* * *

That voice… he knew it, didn't he? Wasn't that his brother, Greed? Wait… _brother_? That… that didn't sound right. Wasn't his brother someone else? Envy? No, that wasn't it, either. Dammit, why was it so hard for him to remember? Maybe if all these voices stopped screaming, he'd be able to think properly for two seconds. It felt as though he'd been trapped like this before so recently, and had been freed only to return to this prison of torment. And, then, it clicked, and his memories flooded back the way light floods a room as soon as someone flicks on the switch. He was here because Father had put another Stone inside of him, much bigger than the one he'd used before. And this time, Wrath's spirit had infected him, too. Not Fuhrer Bradley, per se… it was something deeper, more basic… primal, even. And he was stuck inside of such a monster. He'd grappled with it instinctively, soul to spirit, but the Stone was just so strong. If he kept this up, he'd certainly die, and he couldn't do that to Alphonse. He couldn't end his own life, even if… even if that meant giving in and letting Wrath's spirit control his soul and body. The physical form that his mind had conjured up for his soul hugged its knees to its chest. There was no escape this time, right? Even if that Death Eater bitch hadn't knifed Hohenheim, the man no longer had the resources to remove this Stone. Father had won, and now he, Edward Elric, was Wrath. That was the end of it… wasn't it?

"Ed!"

"Not now, Ling." The words came out of his mouth long before his brain caught up. "What the… Ling?" Sure enough, the prince's soul was right beside him, holding out a hand to him.

"What are you sitting around for, Ed? We've got a Homunculus to extract!"

The look of dumb shock on Ed's face must have been highly amusing, because Ling burst out laughing. "Well, what else did you think we'd do, dummy? Let you become Wrath? Not on my watch! There's only enough room for one human-based Homunculus around here, and that's me!" He grinned at his friend, and the smile slowly reproduced in kind on Ed's face. He grasped Ling's wrist and nodded.

"Okay. So, how do we get rid of Wrath? How did you even get here?"

"Greed. He took hold of the Stone their Father stuck inside you, making a bridge of sorts between your body and mine. I just walked across that bridge, so to speak. Now that we have your attention, he can pull Wrath's Stone into himself without running the risk of sucking you in, too."

Ed shuddered. He didn't much like the thought of Greed feeling around his innards. But, help was help. "As weird as that sounds… it _does_ make sense."

"Okay, Greed!" signaled Ling. "He's ready!"

"About damn time!" called a voice from someplace far away… the outside world? "I gotta say, though, good thinking there, you bratty prince, offering to go in after him yourself."

"What're friends for?" Ling winked, which was hard to pick up on because of how slanted his eyes were to begin with. Ed clung to Ling's hand as the whirlwind of souls drained away, like water down a drain, fading into darkness and silence. His mind cleared as the pain lifted, like someone had pulled a heavy boulder off of his chest.

"All clear?" checked Ling.

"All clear!" echoed Greed.

"Great." The prince let go of Ed's hand and drifted into the nothingness, too. "I'm heading back to my body now, Ed. See you topside."

All of this had happened so quickly that all Ed could manage in reply was "Huh?" before he felt a tug in the place where his heart should be. The next thing he knew, Greedling was standing in front of him, flicking blood off of his right arm, and the rush of noises from the battle assaulted his eardrums like a twenty-one gun salute. Now that the flow of manic energy from Wrath's Stone was gone, Ed felt as flimsy as a pancake trying to stand up on its rim. He keeled over, but a pair of strong arms caught him.

"Fullmetal?" He knew it was Mustang before he even opened his eyes. The man's hands trembled with urgency as they supported the boy's limp form.

"Colonel! Is he okay?" The sound of Al's voice was so welcome in Ed's ears, despite his little brother's distressed tone.

"I…" Mustang probably looked to Greed for confirmation before saying, "I think so." He shook Ed gently, as if trying to wake him from a light sleep. "Hey, Fullmetal. You're still with us, right? Talk to me."

_Dumbass… how can you ask me to talk when I barely have enough energy to think?_ Ed inwardly demanded. But, this was serious – best not to worry the Colonel _too_ much. To put his superior at some ease, Ed shakily gave him a thumbs-up and a brief smirk.

"That's a relief," sighed Mustang, his head flopping forward as tension left his body. "You scared us to death."

_Damn, Colonel. Is this… genuine concern?_ Though he still didn't have the energy to speak, his message came across in his skeptical expression.

"Don't look at me like that," Mustang said defensively. "Do you know how hard it is to replace a valuable subordinate like yourself, Fullmetal? What kind of responsible commanding officer would I be if I let my trump-card underling get himself turned into a Homunculus?"

"You can stop rambling now, Colonel," groaned Greedling, having finished cleaning the blood from his hand. "It's not the time or place."

"Right," nodded Mustang, pulling Edward up to a standing position while still letting the boy lean heavily on him. "Think you can manage?" he asked, not daring to let go until Ed gave a response.

The world was spinning, but he couldn't afford to pass out now. Lightly slapping himself, Ed shook his head to clear away the streaks of color across his vision. After several deep breaths, he felt strong enough to say, "Y-yeah…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, get off…" Ed urged, pushing the Colonel away to prove he wasn't too far-gone.

That, however, was a mistake. In the moment that Mustang gave the young alchemist a look that said, _"I was only trying to help, Ed,"_ they were both distracted a moment too long.

_WHACK!_ Envy punched Mustang squarely in the diaphragm, leaving the Flame Alchemist in a crumpled heap; the impact of head on stone resulted in a trickle of blood from Mustang's temple.

"Colonel!" Before Ed could even take a step toward his injured commander, Envy snagged him roughly by the hair and threw him several yards in the opposite direction. Ed tried to shield his body by letting his automail take the brunt of the fall, but he was fairly certain he heard something strain in his right arm as a result. It wouldn't hold out much longer. Forget trying to survive the _Homunculi_; even if he made it through this, Winry would surely kill him this time.

Envy's knee came down on his chest, grinding into his rib cage and pressing him painfully against the rough stone. "NO!" The Homunculus shrieked. "NO DAMN WAY YOU'RE GETTING OFF THAT EASILY, PIPSQUEAK! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BECOME ONE OF US! YOU CAN'T JUST WALK AWAY SCOT-FREE! THAT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR, YOU HEAR ME, RUNT?"

Ed tried to push Envy off, but he simply didn't have the strength. What with the immense size of Envy's true form, the weight on Ed's chest was quickly suffocating him. He tried to make a sound (preferably a comeback to all of Envy's _"short"_ comments), but air wouldn't come.

"YOU HAVE TO BECOME ONE OF US! I WON'T HAVE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME ANYMORE! YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN ME, YOU BRAT! YOU'RE NOT!"

"Brother!" Al had gotten to his feet, but Ed bid him to stay back with a hand-motion. Something about Envy's rambling was actually beginning to take form, to explain something about the Homunculus that Ed hadn't even considered before. It should have been obvious, but…

Taking a breath so forceful that it hurt, Ed wheezed one single word, a word that acted like a pause button on the shapeshifter: "J-jealous?"

Envy trembled, his eyes wide as dinner plates. "W… what did you say?"

"Are you… jealous… of me?" When Envy gave no snappy insult, Ed pressed forward, "That's it, isn't it? Even though… we humans are weak… we learn. When we fall, our loved ones are there… to pick us up." Ed leveled the Homunculus with a penetrating gaze. "And you're jealous. You envy us because of that."

It was as if Edward has just stabbed the shapeshifter in the chest. Envy stumbled back from the young alchemist, his eyes wide with horror. "H-how… how could…" Then, he snapped, his desperation and anger bubbling over. "HOW COULD YOU EVEN SUGGEST SOMETHING LIKE THAT? HOW COULD I, ENVY, A HOMUNCULUS, A _SUPERIOR_ BEING, BE JEALOUS OF YOU WEAK, WORTHLESS WORMS?"

For all of Envy's howls of protest, Ed knew better. He'd found the Homunculus's weakness, that secret desire, and dragged it out into the open. All of Envy's superiority was now a sham, even as the shapeshifter struggled to keep his hold on the arrogant mask he'd worn for his whole existence. Though every bone and muscle in him begged him to lie still, Ed pushed himself up onto his feet and leveled Envy with penetrating golden eyes. "As I said… it's because we can learn from our mistakes and grow, thanks to the help of those around us. You, on the other hand… are all alone."

"SHUT UP!" Were those… _tears_? Envy was _crying_? "SHUT UP, YOU SPECK! I'LL KILL YOU!" Envy stomped toward him deliberately, but with a heaviness that went deeper than his physical weight. Once Ed was within his reach, the Homunculus placed his shaking hands around Ed's throat, the calloused thumbs pressing against the blond's Adam's apple. "I'll… I'll…" Then, like a deflated balloon, all the fight drained out of Envy, and he slumped to the ground in a tearful mess. His cries almost made Ed pity the shapeshifter. Cautiously, the young alchemist backed away from the distraught Homunculus, unsure of what would happen next.

"How?" Envy sobbed once he could manage coherent speech. "How can this pipsqueak see through me?" Throwing back his head, he shrieked, "It's the ultimate humiliation! I can't bear such disgrace! I won't! Not another minute!" With a sudden and alarming frenzy, Envy stuffed his hands into his own mouth and ripped something out, clasping it tightly in his fist.

Ed caught a glimpse of a familiar ruby gleam: Envy's Philosopher's Stone. "Hey, wait! What're you doing, Envy?"

But he was too late; in another second, the Homunculus had squeezed the Stone past its endurance, making it squelch with a sickening popping sound. As red shimmering liquid seeped out between Envy's fingers, the shapeshifter fell backward and rasped, "Guess this is goodbye, Edward Elric…" Before his body even hit the floor, it decayed into dust.

Ed blinked, shocked, but before he could react much more, he heard _her_ voice.

"ENVY!" Lust emerged from the fray, tattered as her Stone powered the reconstruction of her body. She looked to be nearing her limit as she stumbled toward Ed and the remains of her brother. Regaining some of her strength through rage, she grazed Ed's cheek with one of her Ultimate Spears. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" she screeched, approaching him with brimming eyes.

"Nothing!" Ed protested, wiping the fresh blood from his face. "All I did was say he was jealous of humans, and then he freaked out and…" Ed couldn't make himself say it aloud as he looked at the ashes scattering the floor: _…and killed himself._

Lust stopped, her maroon eyes wide with something not quite like grief, but close. "He… actually… did it? He's free?"

Ed turned on his shaky legs to look at her more closely. "Free?"

The tears finally overflowed as she nodded. "Don't you see, Edward? You… you made him face that which he wanted more than anything… and, because he could never have that as long as he followed our Father… he had to end his own life."

"That… that's crazy!" shouted the blond. "If being on your Father's side is what was stopping him, then why couldn't he have-?"

"Betrayed Father, the way that Greed has?" She was only a few feet away from him now. "Our natures don't include that rebellious luxury. You think we can just change who we are at the drop of a hat? Well, we can't. We aren't like you humans, so fluctuating and fickle." She slashed at him again, but Ed could tell her heart wasn't really in it, or else the cuts would have been _much_ deeper. Clapping his hands, Ed drew his automail hand-blade and waited for her to come in for a close attack.

"W… would you?"

Lust's question caught him by surprise. "Would I what?"

She placed a hand over where her heart should have been and whispered pleadingly. "Kill me."

"W... What?" His voice came out breathless, and he almost lowered his guard.

"Look around, Edward. With all of these wizards, and with the little that remains of my Stone, it's inevitable that I will die here. I just…" She reached out for him. "I want _you_ to be the one. I want _your_ hands to be the last ones to touch me, _your_ arms the last to hold me."

Redoubling the ferocity of his stance, Ed leveled his blade at her diaphragm as a warning. "There's no way I could do that to you!"

"Weren't you just threatening to kill me a few hours ago?"

"That was just a bluff! I didn't _mean_ it!"

"And yet you're pointing a weapon at me now." She stepped toward him, and though Edward backed away, his back hit a slab of stone within a few yards. _Dammit, has she got me cornered?_ His strength was still pretty much nil; if she went all-out with an attack, he wouldn't stand a chance. Though Lust continued to advance, she did not strike. Instead, she simply stared at him, her violet eyes pleading.

"I won't do it!" he shouted.

The tip of his blade tapped her collarbone, and she grasped the weapon, directing it to the flesh right over where the Philosopher's Stone inside her was pulsing in place of a heart.

"I… I wont…" This time, his voice was low enough that only she could hear it. She smiled at him, her eyes full of such pain and longing that he _wanted_ to look away, yet couldn't make himself do it.

"Edward… _please_." The fingers of her other hand brushed his cheek.

"No."

To his surprise, she smiled, as if to say, _"That's what I love about you, you silly boy."_ Ed thought that meant that he'd won the argument, that she would back off and that someone else would have to kill her. But then… a stray Killing Curse hit her in the back, and she keeled forward… onto Ed's blade. Her blood trickled down the metal, pooling at his elbow. Ed didn't move, _couldn't_ move for shock. "L… Lust?"

She lifted her head to meet his gaze, still smiling serenely. "That… that did it."

"Did what? Lust, talk to me."

She pushed closer to him, embedding his weapon still deeper into her chest. Her arms draped around his neck, and her cheek rubbed against his. "Thank you, Edward."

"Lust?" He didn't know what to do. Apologize? Cheer? Oh, god, she was already starting to dissolve into black dust just like Envy had. "Lust, I…" At a loss, the blond's other arm slowly moved around her shoulders, holding her close. If she really was about to die, at _his_ hands, then this was the least he could do for her.

"Thank you," she whispered again. She didn't try to kiss him or fondle him or anything; she simply stayed in his arms… until there was nothing left of her but ash.

For a long moment, Ed stayed quiet and still amidst the dwindling battles, giving the Homunculus a moment of silence. But then, he heard Harry.

"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"

Ed tried to discern what had happened, but everything was too chaotic around him. Out of the crowd, he picked out one individual… the witch who'd tried to kill Hohenheim. She was cackling and running toward the door. _Oh, hell no. I'm gonna make you pay for what you pulled, you bitch._

As he began to pursue the female Death Eater, he saw Voldemort also making his way toward the exit, a trace of desperation in his slit-pupiled eyes. He was looking for a distraction; Ed could tell. Finally, he seemed to find one, and Ed tensed. What had he…?

Time froze just long enough for Ed to realize what was about to happen. Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it… at Alphonse. _No._ Ed was running with all the strength left in him. _No, not Al! Not after all we've gone through to get his body back! I don't care if you are the Dark Lord; you are not taking my brother from me! Come on! I have to get there in time. I have to!_

As it turned out… he did.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

* * *

A/N: I know, another cliffhanger. Just when you thought I couldn't do anything worse to Ed. XD I'm so sorry that this took so long to write. School...

Things are wrapping up! What is this strange feeling? Answer: **catharsis** (if you don't know what that is, look it up. It's a good literary term to know.)

More mentor!RoyEd… I just can't help myself… Aaaand I used Roy's POV to brush over the canon HP stuff (or close-to-canon, at least) because I'd just end up paraphrasing Rowling if I attempted to write much of that action.

I also snuck in a moment of Royai… *hurr* Oh, and if it looks like Roy's really easily dispatching the Homunculi, it's because he can actually do that. Just think about how quickly he wears down Lust and Envy's Stones in the manga once he has them in his sights.

BTW, my recently-solidified headcanon about the Homunculi is that the most basic form of their essences lie in their spirits, because they don't have souls the way that humans do (which is why they need a Philosopher's Stone full of souls at their cores in order to survive). So, that's why I said Ed was battling Wrath soul-to-spirit, not soul-to-soul.


	29. The Last Enemy

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: I'm SO, SO sorry that my update for the previous chapter took so long. Since my semester's coming to a close, that will throw the door wide open for me to work on finishing this fic and others (_An Unsound Soul_ is next-priority on my list of 'to complete').

Oh, and because won't let me put pictures in the text, I have posted the first chapter of a chimera!Ed fic in my deviantART gallery (same username as here). The basic set-up is: what if Shou Tucker had used Ed to make the talking chimera instead of Nina? Intrigued at all? Then feel free to head over to my gallery and check it out.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

**The Last Enemy**

Alphonse had his father's head in his lap, keeping him slightly elevated. "Just hang on, Dad. Brother'll think of something. You'll be okay." The blond looked at the young Ishvalan wizard, who was still murmuring Healing Charms over Hohenheim's wound. "Kevin?"

"I'm trying," the crimson-eyed boy assured Al. He cast a glance at the bloodied weapon lying on the stone. "I… I think the knife is poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Al's heart sank into his stomach.

"I don't know for sure," Kevin said at once. "It's just… my spells aren't being as effective as they should be."

"What does that mean?" Al's voice was strained, near the point of breaking completely. "Kevin, he's not… my dad's not gonna...?"

"It's… all right, Alphonse," said Hohenheim, gripping his son's hand as he took in tense breaths. "I'm not… out of the game yet, son."

Still, Al looked around in desperation for someone, _anyone_ who could come help. Maybe they just needed a more skilled witch or wizard to tend to Hohenheim's wound. Maybe…

"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!"

That was Harry yelling – almost crying, from what it sounded like. Al turned his head to try and locate the source of the shouting, but things were still pretty chaotic. "Please be okay," he murmured to himself before he returned to watching Hohenheim. Everything was happening so quickly, and he could do practically nothing about any of it. He hated feeling useless like this. It had been terrifying to see Envy beat up Ed and to be unable to intervene, but at least that threat had ended, albeit sadly. Al shuddered at the thought of any being taking its own life.

Moments later, Al regretted not paying more attention to his surroundings. He heard footfalls approaching with alarming speed, and then a triumphant cry resounded throughout the chamber.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

Alphonse comprehended the gravity of those two words just in time to see… to understand… to scream. "_**ED!**_"

The jet of green light collided with the young alchemist, making contact directly under his right arm in the socket of his automail port. The prosthetic shattered, sending bits of metal and wiring everywhere like some sort of sickening confetti. As if in slow-motion, Edward fell. For one instant, the brothers' golden eyes met… and then one pair dulled as the spark of life faded from them.

Al, choking on panic as he scrambled to the spot where his elder brother landed face-down on the cold floor, shook Ed by the shoulder. "Ed? Brother, please. Say something! Ed!" Fighting down sudden nausea, Al rolled his brother over, raising a tiny cloud of dust as the elder Elric's back hit the floor. Alphonse's newly-regained gut twisted agonizingly. Ed's eyes were wide and unseeing, his mouth hanging slightly open. "No… Ed, don't do this to me…" He shook his brother more forcefully, but there was no response. No breath came from him, and his chest remained motionless.

"Alphonse, is he…?" It was Michael who asked, having extracted himself from a duel to come assess the damage… the loss. The younger Elric shook his head in disbelief, fresh tears dripping off of his chin and landing on the elder's still form.

"Ah! Mr. Hohenheim, you shouldn't be moving!"

At the sound of Kevin's voice, Michael and Al turned. Ignoring the pain of his own injury, Hohenheim had gotten to his feet and was currently approaching the boys. "Dad, what're you-?"

"Let me see him." The strength of the alchemist's voice was all that was needed to coax Alphonse and Michael away from Edward's body. Sinking to his knees, Hohenheim lifted the limp boy's upper body from the floor and cradled him, touching foreheads with his eldest son and closing his eyes as if listening intently. Despite the racket of the battle around, which was slimming down to a gang-up of the Order members and the Hogwarts students on the Father of the Homunculi, an eerie silence seemed to stretch out around the father and son. For a long moment, nothing was said, though, as Al's shudders of grief grew more desperate, Kevin came alongside the younger Elric and placed an arm of unspoken comfort around the emaciated shoulders.

And then… "Someone bring me my wand."

Michael moved immediately to fulfill Hohenheim's request, but Al stared uncomprehendingly at his father. "Dad?"

Hohenheim met his son's gaze, and both of their faces were tear-streaked. Yet, the father's voice was remarkably calm. "It's going to be all right, Alphonse."

"But, sir!" Kevin piped up. "Ed's… well…" He swallowed a difficult lump. "He's _dead_, isn't he, sir?"

Just hearing the word threatened to knock Al's knees out from under him. _Edward is dead. My… my brother is dead_. But no matter how many times he told himself this, he couldn't… no, he _wouldn't_ accept it. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were _both_ supposed to get their bodies back and go home to Resembool, but Ed… stupid, selfless Ed… had put Al ahead of all other priorities… even at the expense of his own life.

"Yes," said Hohenheim with utmost solemnity. "But, if we act quickly, there's still a good chance."

"But the Killing Curse is irreversible," Michael argued even as he handed the alchemist his wand.

An almost Dumbledore-like twinkle shone behind Hohenheim's rectangular glasses. "That's just it. It's not the curse that did it."

All three boys gaped. "W…what?"

"You saw the curse hit his automail, didn't you, Alphonse?"

"Yes, but-"

After setting the boy back on the ground, Hohenheim ran the tip of his wand down Ed's exposed torso, doubling back up to rest it over his heart. "The automail isn't technically part of Edward's body. The explosion that resulted when the curse made contact was the equivalent of _'killing'_ the arm."

"But, then… Ed…"

"Edward _expected_ to die. His heart stopped from a combination of shock and sudden electricity rerouted inside his body. _That_ should be reversible."

Al made to respond, but he stopped when he saw the concentration in Hohenheim's features. Not even whispering an incantation, the alchemist tapped his wand rhythmically on Ed's chest, pausing at intervals to will air into the boy's relaxed lungs. Fifteen taps, two forced breaths. Fifteen, two. Fifteen, two. The pattern repeated for several agonizingly long minutes, and with each repetition that failed, Al's heart sank a little further into despair.

And then the tension evaporated. Edward sat up abruptly, heaving and shaking like a leaf. Before the elder Elric could even process what had happened to him, Hohenheim pulled him into a tight hug and kissed the boy's temple. Al was at their side a second later, throwing his skinny arms around both of them and crying with relief. It was okay. Ed was alive, and no one was giving up on Hohenheim's wound yet either. There was still a chance that they could make it out of here with their family intact.

* * *

To no one's surprise, the first thing Ed said was, "Are you okay, Al?" This earned him a hard _thwap_ on the head from his younger brother and a scolding worth remembering, all about how much of an idiot Ed was and how this was just like what Ed had tried when Scar attacked them and how Al would kill Ed himself if he ever pulled a stunt like this again. The elder Elric simply absorbed all of this with a smile on his face, and once Al had exhausted himself from yelling, Ed ruffled his little brother's long hair and smirked, "Okay, okay, I got it. No more dying." He had to brush it off with a laugh right now; if he tried to process properly the reality that he had just been as cold and dead as Snape's sense of humor for over ten minutes, he feared he might explode.

Trying to distract himself, Ed scanned the room. "How're we doing? I see the no-longer-bearded bastard is still kicking."

"We'll wear him down," Hohenheim assured him. "He's cornered, and this room is sealed with magic that even _he_ probably can't undo. As long as we keep him here…" His sentence drifted away as he clutched at the wound in his stomach, the color draining from his face. Fresh blood seeped out of the stab-wound, but it had a sickening, unearthly tinge of green to it.

In an instant, Ed let out his own round of chastisement. "Dammit, Dad! Not another word out of you! You sit your ass down and lay still, you hear me? I'm gonna go get my wand from that monster."

"And look how well that went last time." Greedling had reached the edge of their cluster, rolling his eyes.

Ed grinned at the Homunculus. "Perfect timing. I was about to go looking for you. How's Mustang?"

"He shouldn't be much worse for wear. Mild concussion, maybe? He's still out cold."

"Fine, we don't need him for this."

"With _'this'_ being…?"

Ed raised an eyebrow. "How's Wrath settling in that greedy stomach of yours?"

"Quite well, actually." There was no Ouroboros stamped upon Greedling's left eye, but Ed could see a sort of sharpness illuminating the wine-red orbs.

"Can those eyes pick up anything about the magical energy your Father's using?"

The Homunculus surveyed the battle for a moment, then nodded. "It's almost like a… wind or something circling around him." Squinting a little, he added, "And there are fluctuations, gaps big enough for…" His head swiveled back to toss Ed an impressed smirk. "You're a clever little runt, kid. I'm guessing we're having the same thoughts here."

Ed scratched the back of his neck uneasily. "I sure hope we are, because otherwise, I'll probably end up toast."

"Right, then. C'mere."

As Ed stood, Al grabbed onto his brother's hand. "Ed, what're you going to do?"

They were running low on time, but Ed crouched and whispered, "Greedling and I are gonna drain away that bastard's energy, sort of like what you did to Pride when he was inside me, or how Greed sucked Wrath out of me."

"But, if you let that kind of energy loose in here, it could bring the whole place down on us."

"I know that," Ed nodded, "which is why I'm not gonna let it loose."

"Then where-?"

"Al," sighed Ed, slipping his hand out of his brother's feeble grip and cupping it around the paled face. "Just wait here. It's all gonna work out."

"How can you be sure? You're about to go do something crazy again, aren't you?"

"_Al_. Listen to me. We are going to get through this. We're going to go home, all of us, and you'll finally be able to feel the sun, and I bet Winry will even bake us an apple pie. It's going to be okay. I promise."

Al still looked worried, as if he was tempted to say, _"You broke a promise to me last time, Brother,"_ but he bit back his concern. "Okay."

"Michael, Kevin, could you go help the others?" Ed asked. "Hohenheim's in good hands with Al here."

Both wizards nodded and headed toward Mad-Eye to receive instructions; meanwhile, Ed stepped over by Greedling. As he did so, he observed several things. Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Harry were no longer here. They must have all gone to the Ministry's main hall to continue fighting. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, was also nowhere to be found. A knot formed in Ed's stomach; no wonder Harry had been screaming the man's name. But, now wasn't the time to focus on the dead. Keeping everyone here alive took top priority.

"Ready, kid? I see an opening coming up."

Taking a deep breath, Ed replied, "Yeah. Just… make sure you judge the distance well, okay?"

"You got it."

It was almost as if Edward could see the calibrations running through Greedling's head; the Homunculus was even counting silently, figuring out the pace of his timing. Then, planting the heel of one boot solidly into the stone, Greedling grabbed Ed around the middle, spun to get some momentum, and threw the blond full-force at the Father of the Homunculi.

It must have worked, because Ed didn't feel any resistance or barrier until he elbowed the Dwarf in the Flask in the face. The others, seeing Ed enter the crossfire, ceased their spellcasting, though Hermione yelled in confusion, "Ed! What in the name of Merlin's pants are you doing?"

"Trust me! You guys have done enough!" he shouted back.

"Don't be daft!" Mad-Eye growled. "Get out of there, boy!"

"I'm telling you, I've got this! I brought this bastard here; it's _my_ responsibility to kick his ass!" He didn't have time to explain himself to them further, now that the Homunculus's attention was fixated on him. The being who eerily resembled him loomed menacingly before him.

"And just what do you think you're doing, Son of Hohenheim?"

"What's it look like? Throwing a wrench in the works, as usual. It's surely after midnight by now, so – sorry – you've lost all your leverage over me."

"You can't even perform alchemy with one arm, boy. What chance could you possible have?"

"Let's find out." Ed strode up to the Homunculus and glared at him at close-range. "You're not that difficult to figure out, Dwarf in the Flask. You want to make me suffer because I've been such a pain in the ass. On top of that, I wriggled out of your Homunculus-ification curveball, so that must make you extra pissed. Am I wrong?"

Self-assured of his easy victory over the boy, the Homunculus leisurely placed the hand not holding the ash wand around Ed's neck, squeezing ever-so-lightly. "Are you suggesting a fitting method of death for yourself, Elric?"

"That's just it," Ed replied without missing a beat. "With all that I did to screw up your plans already, would it really be Equivalent just to kill me?" He lowered his voice so that only the monster could hear it. "Wouldn't it satisfy you more… to take my soul?" A teasing smirk stretched across the boy's face. "I dare you to try."

Goaded on by Edward's smug expression, Father narrowed his eyes and hissed, "If you insist." The Homunculus released Ed's neck, drew his arm back, and plunged it into the blond's stomach, right under his rib cage.

Ignoring the pain and whatever Al was screaming at him, Ed focused. He could already feel his soul being tugged at, but he still had time. _Hey, Horntail! You can hear me, right?_

"I see you're still alive, boy."

_No time for chit-chat now. I need your help. We're gonna kick this bastard's ass._

"Why should I help you?"

He'd been expecting that, and he had his best answer ready. _This Homunculus, he doesn't respect you or your power. He wants to hoard whatever he gets for himself. And, while __**I'm**__ hardly the best master a wand could ask for, I do know that I don't stand a chance without you. __**Please**__, Horntail._

"If you're trying to appeal to some innate morality, think again. I don't have the same sense of right and wrong as you do, boy. With me, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it."

_You said yourself that I was at least a little power-hungry._

"That I did."

_If you help me, you'll make me the most powerful person in this room, maybe even in the Wizarding World. All thanks to you. Hardly a bad deal, don't ya think?_

For a brief moment, there was silence between wizard and wand, and Ed felt Father's strong grip tighten around his soul. _Please_, he repeated. When there was no reply, Ed lost his patience and bellowed, "DAMMIT, HORNTAIL! YOU GET YOUR SORRY WOODEN ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

It was almost as if the ash wand had been waiting for that. The weapon slipped out of Father's hand and into Ed's, filling the latter with renewed strength. _Now __**that's**__ more like it!_ Not wasting another precious second of the Homunculus's surprise, Ed jabbed the wand into the monster's arm and, having either wisely or crazily planned this far ahead, cast a single spell. "_Accio_." Immediately, the flow of energy reversed. Instead of having his soul slowly ripped from his body, Ed's insides were slammed with pure energy. Snarling, Father tried to pull his arm out of Ed, but the connection held by the force of the boy's will.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" asked the dragon's spirit.

_Just you… watch me!_ Ed replied. Out of the corner of his eye, the young alchemist saw his back-up swoop in. _Perfect timing again, Greedling._

Father howled in rage as a hand and forearm coated with the Ultimate Shield penetrated his back and a second meddlesome being began to drain away his power. "Insects!" He spat, trying again to extricate himself from the two-way onslaught.

"How ya doing, kid?" asked Greedling, poking his head around the side of the flailing Homunculus.

Ed would have simply given a thumbs-up, but his only hand was preoccupied. "Managing," he grimaced. Closing his eyes, Ed could picture what was happening inside the monster. Greedling was selecting the numerous human souls left in Father to add to his own Stone, leaving Ed with the roaring cascade of magical energy. It thundered so loudly and wildly inside the boy that he momentarily feared he might drown in it.

"I thought you said you could handle it," snickered Horntail.

_I'll get to that!_ Ed retorted. The important thing now was that it was _working_. Father was growing weaker; Ed could feel it in his gut. The monster continued to roar and struggle as he remained pinned between his two attackers. Ed's insides buzzed, and the scientific part of his mind vaguely wondered if this was what an excited molecule felt like. As time wore on, though, he could feel the sheer mass of the energy stressing his limited human body. _Almost there… just hang on a little longer…_

And then, the Homunculus ran dry. Ed and Greedling backed away as Father collapsed, trembling violently. "How?" he demanded in a raspy, spent voice. "How can such… such worms…?"

"Don't think about it too hard," panted Ed, clutching at his middle as the wound healed itself over. "Your brain might implode."

"The kid's right, Pops," sighed Greedling, stretching his neck to get rid of a crick. "These stubborn humans are just more than you can handle, because you never tried to understand them."

"But, I had reached… perfection…"

"Don't make me laugh," snapped the brazen young alchemist. "You've lost, Dwarf in the Flask. There's nothing left for you here." Suddenly, as if on cue, a rumbling came from the veiled archway, and the two doors of the Portal reappeared. With striking finality, Ed looked down at the being that had once terrified him and pronounced, "Go back to nothing, Homunculus."

The black hands were already unfurling from the opening doors. Seeing them, the monster shrieked in alarm and tried to run. Needless to say, he didn't get far. The Portal's ethereal limbs wrapped around the offender and dragged him toward whence they had come. Just before the entrance to the Portal slammed shut and trapped the screaming thing inside, Ed allowed himself to feel a twinge of guilt. It really was a pitiful being, the Homunculus. So empty…

The doors sealed themselves and faded; it was over. For a moment, no one dared to break the silence left in the wake of the Portal's vanishing act. Only when Ed teetered and fell hard onto his rump did his fellow Hogwarts students rush him. "Wow, Ed, that was insane!" "Oh my god, are you okay?" Finally, Luna batted the others away, chiding, "Back off. Give him room to breathe, everyone."

"Thanks, Luna," said Ed, managing a brief grin. He couldn't rest yet. He had his wand now, and the worst threat was over, but that didn't mean his work was done. Far from it, in fact. Scrambling off the dais, Ed dashed back to Al and Hohenheim. The earlier exertion had taken its toll; Hohenheim's skin was pale and clammy, and his breaths were short and ineffective. There was no more time. _Horntail? Ready to tap into some of this energy?_

"Are _you_ ready, boy? It may put quite a bit of strain on you."

_I'm already strained, dammit! Let's just help him!_

"Very well."

"Brother?" Al asked, torn between concern for Ed and concern for Hohenheim.

"I'm fine," said Ed, smiling faintly. "It looked a lot worse than it was, I swear. Now, let me think, okay?" Once Al nodded compliantly, Ed's attention focused inward. _So, what do we need to do?_

"I can take the poison out of the equation," mused Horntail, "but… I think the rest should be left to you and your alchemy. Call it… a rare instance of sentiment. If I keep doing everything for you, boy, you won't become much of a man."

_Fair enough; there isn't time to argue about this anyway._ Ed touched his wand to the center of the bloody stain on his father's shirt and let his will channel through the stick of wood, guided and shaped by the dragon's spirit. Like an evaporating acid, the green streaks in Hohenheim's blood sizzled into nonexistence. But, Ed's worrying was far from alleviated by the fact that his father showed no reaction to the removal of the poison. Didn't it hurt him? Or… was he too weak to manage even a wince of pain? _Dad, I swear; if you die, I'm gonna kill you._ Tucking his wand into his back pocket, Ed next placed the palm of his single hand over the wound.

"Ed, what're you-?"

Before Al could even finish his question, the transmutation began. Thanks to the pool of raw power inside of him, he didn't even need to clap beforehand. The elder Elric's entire body grew burning hot as the energy rushed through him. _Heal him. __**Please**__._ Ed had spent months patching up his relationship with his father, and he simply _would not stand _for the old man to kick the bucket now. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else, and neither could Al. This determination seemed to amplify his transmutation, causing his skin practically to glow from the effort. And yet, he could almost _feel_ Hohenheim slipping away. _No! Don't you dare!_ With one more push, white enveloped his senses, and he faintly processed the sensation of being deconstructed.

* * *

"Well, well… if it isn't the foolish young alchemist."

It only took that one sentence for Ed to recognize the voice. As his surroundings came into focus (as much as a blank void could do so), he turned toward the being that had spoken. It wore his arm and leg mockingly, and Its toothy grin reeked with condescension.

"Truth."

"I assume you've come to bargain for your limbs," teased the being.

"No."

The Truth seemed taken aback by this. "No?"

"My father comes first. Can you save him?"

If the thing had eyes, It would have narrowed them at him. "Since he still lives, yes," It hissed at length. "Have you brought a price of equal value for me?"

Ed held out his single arm, his skin still tingling with energy. "How about all this power stuffed inside me? Take as much of it as you need to satisfy Equivalence."

"Even if I take all of it?"

"Yep. I don't plan to keep it anyway."

Truth tilted Its head to one side, peering at him inquisitively. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

"_You_, the power-hungry little boy who broke the taboo, don't want any of that energy for yourself? You could almost call yourself a god with that kind of power, young alchemist."

"Don't jerk around with me! It doesn't matter how much power I have. I'll never be anything more than a simple human desperately trying to protect the people I care about." He sighed tensely as his patience grew increasingly thin. "That's not much, but it's all I can really amount to. At the end of the day, _they're_ what's important, not alchemy, or magic, or power."

Something about the Truth's grin grew less antagonistic and more genuine, as if Ed had just given It the correct answer to a long and complicated riddle.

"Now, quit dawdling!" Ed snapped. "Do we have a deal, or not?"

After a moment of silence, Truth threw Its head back and cackled like a giddy child. "Oh, yes! Yes, you've done very well, Edward Elric!"

In the back of his mind, Ed realized that Truth had called him by his actual name for the first time. But, that wasn't important right now. "Are you stalling or something?"

"Hardly. I'm simply savoring the moment. It's extremely rare for a human, especially one so young, to beat me."

The blond blinked. "B… beat you?"

"Yes, indeed. And, like any lucky winner, it's only fair that I give you a prize." Immediately, the two thin human limbs on Truth's body deconstructed themselves. Ed let out a soft gasp as the metal leg disintegrated under him to be replaced by flesh and the stump of his right shoulder grew out and pieced together to reform a real arm. After all of this took place, Ed felt the buzzing of energy inside of him lessen drastically, but… it didn't fade completely.

"Before you yell at me, your father is safe," added Truth, still smirking, but with a sort of pride now. "Don't take it the wrong way when I say I never want to see you here again, young alchemist."

Momentarily ripping his concentration away from his restored limbs, Ed matched the being's expression. "For once in a blue moon, you and I agree."

"Then, our business is concluded." The great stone doors creaked open behind Ed, and the black hands came for him. This time, he didn't resist at all. He was more than ready to leave this place and return to where Al and Hohenheim were waiting for him. _Finally_, after a decade of separation, the three of them could go home together… just like Ed had promised.

As black swallowed up white and the boy closed his eyes, Truth's last farewell rang in his ears.

"Goodbye, Edward Elric."

* * *

A/N: I hope this didn't feel rushed. I wrote extra description in places to try to stretch it out, but I also didn't want to overdo that, so… yeah, it ended up this length.

I slipped in a little reference to what Voldemort says in the first book/movie.

You guys. ONE. MORE. CHAPTER. It'll be sort of a wrapping-up chapter, so you shouldn't expect any shockers. It's all the dénouement now (look up that literary term if you don't know it).


	30. What Lies Ahead

_**Nowhere is Safe: Edward Elric and the Order of the Phoenix**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: THE. LAST. CHAPTER. O.O

Thank you so much for putting up with me during my slow-updating streaks. Now that I've finished this fic, I'll add _To Call Your Name_ back into my update rotation (and probably the others, too… it'll depend on where inspiration strikes).

* * *

**Chapter 30**

**What Lies Ahead**

Having returned to the school in the early hours of the morning, Ed had been looking forward to crashing in his four-poster and possibly sleeping for a whole two days. Alas, snoozing would have to wait until further notice, for no sooner had the young alchemist reached the corridor leading to Ravenclaw Tower than Professor McGonagall hurried up to him and told him that the headmaster wanted to see Ed in his office immediately.

"So Dumbledore's back?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, now go on."

"Am I in trouble?"

"You'll have to ask _him_ that, Elric. All he told me was that you were to go straight to his office."

Sighing exasperatedly, Ed groaned, "Can I at least get a shirt first?" He _had_ been walking around the school half-naked. Thank goodness all the students were asleep at this hour, or Ed might never have lived it down.

Professor McGonagall didn't show the faintest hint of a flush, but she pursed her lips and nodded briskly. "Just be quick about it."

"Yes, ma'am."

One run up to his dorm room later, Ed returned, still pulling the shirt over his head. It was kind of weird to feel the fabric against both arms now… not that he was in any way complaining. The cloth was much looser in the right sleeve because of how atrophied his muscles had become; good thing Ed was left-handed. He made his way to the headmaster's office, giving the password to the stone gargoyle as soon as he reached the entrance. In less than a minute, he stood in front of Dumbledore's door. Even before he knocked, Ed heard the aged voice call, "Enter."

"Uh, hello, sir," said Ed a little awkwardly upon obeying. Only once he'd stepped inside did he realize that a third person was in the room. "Harry." The dark-haired boy looked like hell: bleary-eyed and pale-faced. Though Ed had been left out of a good deal of what was going on with Harry, he could still sympathize, empathize even. Both boys had been through possibly the roughest night of their young lives.

"Do sit down, Edward."

"Yes, sir." Ed plopped into a chair, aching from the bruises of the battle and the sizzling energy that was still inside of him.

"Congratulations on reaching your goals, my boy."

"Oh…" The young alchemist flexed the fingers of his right hand. "Thank you, sir. An unexpected bonus, I guess." Cocking an eyebrow, Ed ventured, "But, I'm guessing that's not why you called me up here."

"Indeed, it is not. I wish to know what you now plan to do."

"_Do_, sir?"

"Yes. I would assume you see little reason to remain in England, now that the threat of the Homunculi has ended."

"Oh, that. Well… yes, sir, I intend to go home."

"Then, what do _you_ think should be done about the… more or less _discovery_ of your country by the Wizarding World?"

Ed blinked. "Wait, have they… has the Ministry actually found it?"

"Not yet, but the Fidelius Charm's power over the Ministry has been drastically weakened, I'm afraid."

"Damn…" Ed thumbed his chin in thought. He'd begun to formulate an idea on the way here as he'd pondered the methods by which he could safely and wisely use up the rest of this magical energy, but finding the words to explain took more effort than he'd initially thought. "Sir, you know how the Father of the Homunculi was able to cast a Memory Charm on everyone? The whole Wizarding World?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I've been thinking, and, with the energy I absorbed from that monster, maybe I could... I dunno, make you all forget that Amestris exists. After my family, friends, and I leave, it would be like we were never here."

"Why would you do that?" inserted Harry, who had been surprisingly quiet up to this point. "Ed, why would you want all of us to forget about you? You're our friend!"

"Calm down," Ed insisted, raising his hands defensively. "It's not like that!"

"I believe _I_ understand, Edward." At the sound of the headmaster's voice, both boys focused their attention on him. "Though the Homunculi are gone, Voldemort remains, and he would no doubt use the knowledge of your country to his own advantage."

"Yes, sir. It just isn't safe for the Wizarding World at large to know about alchemy yet."

"I agree."

"But," Harry protested, "does that mean… this is goodbye… forever?" The poor guy had a mist of desperation in his green eyes, a look that said, _"I don't want to lose anyone else."_

"Merlin's beard, Harry! Don't sound so morose," laughed Ed, clapping his wizard friend on the back. "I've got it all planned out in my head. Hopefully it won't sound crazy when I actually say it aloud."

"Go on," encouraged Dumbledore.

"So, say I cast a Memory Charm on the Wizarding World that blocks out all memory of Amestris, its inhabitants, and true alchemy, giving one individual an extra set of instructions."

"Which are?" Harry interrupted impatiently.

"Let me finish," sighed Ed. "The instructions would be this: once Voldemort has been defeated for good, send me an owl so that I'll know to lift the Charm. Then… well, I guess the alchemists of my country could share their knowledge with the Wizarding World. Using the two in tandem accomplished some… pretty incredible things tonight.

"Indeed they did."

"What should the letter say?" Harry asked. "The one the owl will bring you?"

"I guess… something along the lines of _'It's safe now,'_ or _'All clear.'_ Nothing too complicated."

"It's a well-thought-of plan, Edward," said the headmaster.

"Guess there is a reason I'm in Ravenclaw after all," half-snorted the blond.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily, and a conspiratorial mirth entered his tone. "Edward, when the time comes that you feel free to visit England again, I should tell you that there might very well be a position on the staff reserved for you."

Ed blinked. Had his ears clogged up? "W…. what? Me, a professor?"

"Hogwarts would need _someone_ to instruct the students in alchemy, would it not?"

A faint flush came to the young alchemist's cheeks. "I… I guess so, but – gosh – shouldn't you ask someone a little older? Mustang's a pretty damn talented alchemist."

"But you are also a wizard, dear boy."

"Then Hohenheim could-" And then he caught the look on Dumbledore's face and the ever-so-slight shake of his head. Dumbledore's eyes said, _"Treasure the time you have left with him, Edward. Your father has had to live in this world for far too long, and I have the feeling that – in a few years' time…"_

Ed looked away; he didn't want to think about death right now. All the same, he tucked away Dumbledore's unspoken advice. Keeping his face calm, he boarded his train of thought at a previous juncture. "So, about who I give the extra instructions to– "

"I think we both know who that should be, Edward."

Getting the quick confirmation from Dumbledore, Ed turned to Harry. It took a full minute of silence for the wizard, his mind preoccupied with all that had happened at the Department of Mysteries, to realize what they meant.

"M… me?"

Ed shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? When Voldemort is beaten, you'll have won. It seems… I dunno, kinda poetic for you to be the one to sound the all-clear."

Once he digested this, a smile, faint but visible, appeared on Harry's face. "I… I'm honored, Ed."

"Pfft, just don't go getting a big head over it, 'kay?"

As Harry nodded, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said Dumbledore.

From behind the wood came Hohenheim. He inclined his head courteously to Dumbledore and smiled at the two boys. Coming over to Ed, he placed an arm around the smaller blond. "Son, Madame Pomfrey's nearly finished tending to Colonel Mustang's head injury, and it'll be time for us to be on our way after that."

"Oh, okay. I'll get to saying my goodbyes right after this." After all, practically everyone he wanted to see before they left was already awake at this early hour. Convenient, that.

A glance and an exchange of Legilimency was enough for Dumbledore to convey Ed's plan to Hohenheim. Upon understanding this, the father gave the son a light squeeze. _"I'm proud of you, Ed,"_ the gesture seemed to say.

"Then _this_ is goodbye, for now," said Dumbledore, rising from his chair and coming to shake Hohenheim's hand.

"Until our next meeting," replied the other sage.

"If it is to be," smiled the headmaster. When Dumbledore shook Ed's hand, his blue eyes twinkled merrily. "I wish you success on all your future endeavors, my boy."

As Ed tried to absorb that benediction, he realized what the undertone of the headmaster's words was: a final farewell. Somehow, Dumbledore knew that this would indeed be the last time they spoke. Again, Ed averted his thoughts from death, and, as he slipped out from his father's arm to clasp Harry's hand, he whispered, "Keep a sharp eye out, 'kay, Harry? I won't be here to watch your back."

"Right," nodded the scar-marked wizard. "I will."

With that, the two alchemists excused themselves from the study. Downstairs in the Entrance Hall, the participants in the battle congregated to wish the Elrics and their friends farewell. Winry found Ed almost immediately and slipped her left hand into his right. He squeezed it reassuringly to say, _"I'll be right back,"_ before making his rounds to speak to his friends individually.

In hindsight, what he said and did blurred together into a whirlwind of handshakes and brief sentences, but some things stood out to him: surprise hugs from Hermione and Kevin, an innocent kiss on the cheek from Luna, a moment of silence between him and Snape. That last encounter, especially. Just as Dumbledore had, Snape seemed strangely certain that this could very well be the last time teacher and pupil laid eyes on one another. _"You did well,"_ his beetle-black eyes told Ed.

_Thank you, sir,_ replied the blond without words. And that was it. That was all that needed to be said between the two.

At long last, Ed finished and found his way to Al's side. The younger Elric was gratefully inhaling well-sized bites of shepherd's pie from a plate that Dobby had brought the emaciated boy. "How's that treating ya, Al?"

The little brother's mouth was too full at the moment to answer coherently, but he nodded vigorously and smiled at the other, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's.

"Good," snickered Ed. "Just don't choke, okay?"

Winry joined them a few minutes later, and she looped her arms round both their necks and hugged them tightly. "You two idiots. You had me worried sick, you know." Ed felt a few drops dampen his shirt, but he didn't stop her from crying this time. He had kept his promise, and _these_ were tears of joy. Instead, he patted her back with one hand and squeezed Al's free hand with the other. They were together again, the three of them. And now, they would all be able to go home.

In time, Madame Pomfrey brought Mustang from the hospital wing. She looked slightly miffed that she wouldn't be able to ensure that the wounded soldier made an absolutely full recovery, but the Colonel looked eager to get away from the territorial matron. When Mustang reached earshot, Ed teased, "Have fun explaining that bandage to the Lieutenant."

"Shut up, Fullmetal," the Colonel retorted on cue. A moment's grin passed between the two, one that whispered, _"I'm glad you're okay, too, dumbass."_

Once the travelers assembled – Ed, Al, Hohenheim, Winry, Mustang, and Greedling – they exited through the great oaken doors out onto the grounds toward the Whomping Willow. Memories of Ed's previous visits to the secret passage washed over him: when he'd hijacked the Floo Network, when he'd led his friends into battle, when… when he'd broken his younger brother's heart with his betrayal. And now, he was finally getting to go home.

When all six stood in the main room of the Shrieking Shack, huddled around the Portkey, Hohenheim nodded to Ed and said quietly, "It's time, son."

The young alchemist slipped out his wand. _Okay, Horntail. You ready for this?_

"We've been over this, boy. I'm always ready. The question is whether _you_ are prepared."

_I am._

"Then, let's quit chatting and get to work."

_That should be my line._ Lifting the ash wand, Ed closed his eyes and whispered an incantation, channeling his will into the stick of wood clutched in his hand. The buzzing that had lingered in him due to the magical energy swelled to a crescendo, following the flow of the Memory Charm. Like a great wave, it swept outward from him, soaking into everything it touched. And then, it dissipated, and Ed exhaled, deep and slow. "Okay. It's done."

"Then let us be on our way," said Hohenheim.

* * *

"Make sure you get enough sleep."

"Mm."

"And remember to eat plenty."

"Yup."

"And it's important to bathe regularl—"

"For crying out loud, Winry!" groaned the blond, raising his arms above his head in a much-needed stretch. "I'm a grown man; I know how to tend to my essential needs."

The mechanic flushed and scrunched her shoulders defensively. "I just want you to be okay. You're going to the other side of the world, after all; who knows what crazy things could be over there. Maybe even crazier than magic!"

Looking at her flustered face, Ed couldn't stay mad at her. She only wanted him to come home to her safely. "Win, it'll be okay. I've got alchemy _and_ this." He patted his pocket where the ash wand was stored. "I'll be fine."

Winry twisted a silver band set with a single small diamond round and round the ring finger of her left hand; that had become a nervous habit of hers not long after Ed had given the ring to her. His proposal had been, as one can imagine, rather awkward in a humorous way, but – hey – it had gotten the job done.

"I'll be fine," he repeated.

"You better be."

He eyed her anxious expression and, seized by a sudden audacity, leaned toward her and turned her face to meet his. The kiss seemed to be just what she had needed, because now she smiled adoringly at him. Her hands cupped around his face, ready to pull him in for another one.

They were interrupted, however, by the clearing of a throat. "I can see the train now, son."

"Oh, really?" After squeezing Winry's hands, he stood and joined Hohenheim at the edge of the platform. A shrill whistle accompanied the plume of smoke rising from the growing shape of the engine. "Yup, there it is."

Winry came alongside him and slipped her hand into his, wrapping herself around his arm. As he looked at her, though, she focused on something in the early summer sky. "Ed, is that… an owl?"

Immediately, all eyes were on the bird. It swooped in gracefully and perched atop Ed's suitcase. In its beak was, as might be expected, an envelope. As soon as Ed had accepted the letter from it, the owl took off again and was soon lost among the puffy clouds parading along. Unconsciously, his heart rate had increased, and it only quickened its rhythm as he slipped a finger under the lip of the envelope and ripped it open.

There was only a simple card inside, bearing a simple sentence.

_All Clear_.

"Dad… after this world-trip, we have somewhere to be."

Hohenheim smiled warmly and nodded, though a distant look glazed his eyes, as if he was already contemplating at what cost Voldemort and his followers had been defeated. Ed, however, had other things to think about at the moment. Pulling out his wand, he intended to address the dragon's spirit, but Horntail was one step ahead of him.

"I understand," it said, taking charge.

Ed felt a sharp tug in his gut, and a sort of weight lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't even realized he'd been carrying it for a little over two years, but now that it was gone, he stood a little straighter.

"As soon as possible, I'll send an owl requesting more information on the situation over there," Hohenheim proposed. "We'll discern how to proceed from there."

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Ed. By that time, the train was about to pull into the station. As soon as the mammoth transport had grinded to a halt beside the platform and a handful of passengers had begun to disembark, Hohenheim hefted both suitcases so that Ed and Winry could have one more moment. She draped her arms over his shoulders and clasped her hands behind his head, while his arms encircled her waist. Both smiling, they exchanged a few tender kisses before squeezing each other in a tight hug.

"Come home as soon as you can."

"I will."

Then they parted, and Ed joined his father on the train. In another minute, the whistle sounded again, and steam hissed from the pistons as the train began its departure. Ed watched out the open window as Winry and the Resembool station grew smaller from his moving viewpoint. Even with all the uncertainty of what awaited them in the West, and then all they might find in the Wizarding World upon their return, the young man was _beyond_ excited. Perhaps it was his cocky attitude that longed for a new thrill or his scientific drive to seek out answers, but _something_ had definitely set him alight with energy.

"Careful," chided Horntail. "There are some mysteries that cannot be solved; that will never be changed, so don't get your hopes up _too_ high."

_Mystery?_ Ed snorted inwardly. _Don't you know me at all, dragon?_ The blond hybrid of alchemist and wizard crossed his arms and legs, smirking in his usual fashion, ready for whatever challenges would dare confront him.

_I eat mystery for breakfast._

* * *

A/N: It's over. It's… really over. I finished this monster in under a year.

I was honestly tempted to call this chapter either "There and Back Again" or "Journey's End" XD _soooooo_ original…

If you liked this _HP_/_FMA_ crossover, you'll probably enjoy my other one, _The Boy with the Lightning Scar_. It's only three chapters in length right now, but I'll start to work on it again soon.


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